-
Composed on raw linen with an economy of gesture and palette, the subjects of these nuanced paintings float in isolation. A grinning man wears a shirt emblazoned “Down and Out in Montauk,” a nod to Orwell seemingly at odds with the comfort radiating from the painting. Elsewhere, Mesler references nautical history, pairing a reduced seascape with a seafaring rhyme and the submerged outline of Melville’s white whale. Across this body of work, it becomes clear that the sea itself is not the subject, but rather, how we encounter it, whether in a state of temporary withdrawal from our everyday lives, or within a work of art. This sentiment is most clear in “Untitled (I’m Moonlighting),” which depicts a figure in a canoe at night, drawing as he drags a paintbrush through the water. The painting reads, “I’m moonlighting”, a reminder of the Mesler’s role as both a painter and an art dealer, a dichotomy that has historically existed in the careers of art world characters from Marcel Duchamp to Maurizio Cattelan. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
An exhibition of paintings by Nashvillebased filmmaker and artist Harmony Korine will be on view at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts from November 4, 2016, to January 16, 2017. Korine, who is best known as the filmmaker/auteur of such films as Kids, Gummo, Trash Humpers, and Spring Breakers, is also an accomplished painter, having shown works in museums throughout the United States, as well as in Europe and Japan, since 1999. The twelve large and dynamic works of Shadows and Loops have the improvisatory spirit of outsider art and share some of the disruptive qualities of his films. Seen together, the crudely painted figures, shadowy sublayers, and psychedelic looping patterns of the paintings offer up an environment of alienated weirdness, with an emphasis on raw expression and impulsivity rather than intellectual clarity. “His figurative works have the spontaneity of old-school graffiti, with patches of color, rough textural elements, and random marks developed into characters ...
Read more

Artist Samuel Gillis

-
Image
Samuel J. Gillis, Chicago, has spent a lifetime serving his passion and appreciation for art. Gillis’s early exposure to cartooning developed into an obsession that led to a formal education in fine art. Sam has been fortunate to study in some of the finest art programs, including Columbia College Chicago and The Atelier Alternative. He was a proud recipient of a scholarship to attend The School of the Art Institute Chicago. Gillis is a prolific artist featured in museums and exhibitions, including The Columbus Art Museum, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and John G. Shedd Aquarium. Part of international collections in Spain, Italy, New York, Guatemala, Russia, and San Francisco, to name a few. He’s been featured in television, movies, and publications nationwide for his work, as well as mentorship of other artists and global initiatives at the center of his mission to help build a better world through art. Gillis with his local and global community and is a frequent donor to organi...
Read more