A stand-out of the new contemporary painting movement, Chloe Early creates epic mini-narratives in oils. Her work effortlessly avoids cliché while deftly contrasting extremes: it’s at once romantic and realistic, nurturing and gladiatorial. Fantastical motifs mix with the detritus of Western existence, as can-do characters either conquer the odds in spectacular fashion or fail with no regrets.
Chloe’s most recent paintings, such as that which inspired the print edition Encounter, employ figurative images to explore a contemporary fable of the skies. Modern-day female Icaruses float or plummet, within colour-saturated backgrounds resonating with opposing feelings of beauty, athleticism and danger. In swoops a nocturnal bird of prey, king of the night and master of the firmament. The piece retains an ambiguous position, revelling in both the glory of the rise and the danger of the fall.
Born in Cork, Ireland in 1980 Chloe Early now works from her studio in east London.