The Paintings of E. M. Saniga

Contemporary artist E. M. Saniga paints facets of life in and around his home in rural southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in a distinctive palette of modulated earth tones. In this insightful analysis of Saniga's work, Abraham A. Davidson examines the major influences on his technique and his unique relationship with the countryside that he depicts. Illustrated with forty examples of his painting, we see the inventive composition and unusual motifs that distinguish Saniga's strongly evocative style. His portraits focus on the independent women who ride and train dressage horses at a nearby facility. Imaginatively eccentric elements are brought to play in spare still life studies: skunk cabbage in a bowl; a cup of peonies set against a whimsically invented wallpaper pattern; a mysterious juxtaposition of animal bones; eggs and fungus culled from the woods. Perhaps the most striking in this series are his dramatic, yet dispassionate depictions of animal carcasses rendered with realistic clarity. Saniga's tranquil landscapes capture the meditative atmosphere of the meadows and wooded terrain of the region, which also serve as the backdrop to his paintings of hunting dog trials and golf tournaments. Mr. Davidson has included in this comprehensive study, an illuminating personal interview with the artist. The Paintings of E. M. Saniga is an absorbing analysis of his work that places Saniga in the context of the current contemporary art scene.