Light on the subject

Throughout Burke’s oeuvre, one immediately feels an invisible tension as stark scenes, illuminated by intentionally unsettling sources, seem to speak to some sort of unspoken truth. LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT exposes how Burke used light, theatrically and cinematically, to create forboding narratives. One is met with haunting scenes that exist in painterly stasis, indefinite incompleteness. Stark scenes and lone figures feel both charming and ominous, where the painting functions as a bearer of truth and fiction, reflecting modern alienation and isolation.