Christopher Reiger
Growing up on the rural Delmarva Peninsula, Christopher Reiger spent much of his time
in pastoral settings, becoming familiar with the local flora and fauna. Whether working
alongside his father at field chores, hunting, fishing, or simply playing, he found many of
his experiences in the "natural" world similar to those of Lewis Carroll's Alice;
Carroll's premise, that "things get curiouser and curiouser," guided Reiger through many
an adventure. As an adult, Reiger's love of the outdoors has evolved into a fascination with
biology, conservation and behavioral science.
He writes, "Such an evolution from enchantment to analysis is not unusual. The Scientific
Revolution, beginning in the 16th century, introduced us to the distinction between storied
or subjective meaning and hard facts. Today, most scientists investigate the world through
a process of clinical observation and experimentation, avoiding sentiment. Unfortunately, as
a result, there now exists a divide between the imagination and reason, particularly as related
to Nature. Paul L. Sawyer, writing of the English poet and critic, John Ruskin, noted Ruskin's
concern for 'the broken harmonies of fact and fancy, thought and feeling, and truth and faith.'
These broken harmonies separate us from our surroundings; even as we seem to know an increasing
number of facts about Nature, we comprehend less of it, leading to more destruction and degradation.
While it may be naïve to believe that one is living in the defining historical moment, we are in
fact nearing a precipice from which we will be unable to rescue either the environment or ourselves...
All is not yet lost, however. Like other children, I understood our world without social constructs.
Some adults nurture a child-like curiosity, tying it to the truths given them by scientific inquiry,
to create a vital, informed ethic, producing, as Sawyer noted, 'myths by which the apprehension of
nature becomes morally and culturally significant.' This marriage of 'truth and faith' does not
come easy, requiring either acceptance of hypocrisy and contradiction or blindness to both...
Nature is not going to vanish. What is in danger of extinction, however, is our understanding of her."
Reiger's current work is informed by the conflict between fact and fiction in natural history and
its impact on our species' ever-changing relationship to the biosphere. "I am particularly interested
in the narratives we weave to better explain our role in the world, be it through a child's innocent
anthropomorphism or the cold magic of scientific endeavor."
Working on soaked and stretched Arches paper, Reiger uses many media on one surface, preferring
watercolor, sumi inks, acrylic and graphite. In each piece, he combines and stacks images much
as one would do when doodling in the margins of notebook.
Christopher Reiger lives and works in New York City. He attended the College of William and Mary
(B.A. Studio Arts 1999) in Williamsburg, Virginia, before moving north. Since graduating from the
MFA program at the School of Visual Arts, he has participated in several group
exhibitions. Most recently, he exhibited paintings in There's Got to Be a Morning After..., a
three-man show at the Jeff Bailey Gallery, and he has several shows planned for 2004. In February of
2003, his studio mates and he were awarded the Artists Space Independent Project Grant and in
August 2003, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's Manhattan Community Arts Fund award.
For more information or to view more paintings, visit www.baileygallery.com.
Note: The cover art for They Don't Love You Like We Do
and artwork on individual contributors' pages are details from:
I still can't outrun a marigold
(pencil, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, sumi ink and marker on Arches paper)
21" x 19"
2002
