Howard Fonda’s eponymously titled
exhibition at Mixed Greens continues his adaptation of the tropes of
authenticity. Creamy prismatic abstract paintings hint at faces while at least
two explicitly reference a bearded man and another a skull. Buoyant clusters of
marks form around swirling compositions tied nicely around eyes and noses
anchor Fonda’s images. A sincere lover of the medium, Fonda has elsewhere
stated, “I see painting as a
philosophical sanctuary and spiritual outpost. I embrace painting’s
traditions and limitations, finding comfort in them…” As seen at Mixed Greens Fonda’s
paintings are a mix of the abstract/facial paintings of Alexi Jawlensky and
a post-conceptual strain of Emerson. Accompanying the press release is this
haiku-like Bukowski poem:
I met a
genius on the train
today
about 6 years old,
he sat beside me
and as the train
ran down along the coast
we came to the ocean
and then he looked at me
and said,
it’s not pretty.
it was the first time I’d
realized
that.
today
about 6 years old,
he sat beside me
and as the train
ran down along the coast
we came to the ocean
and then he looked at me
and said,
it’s not pretty.
it was the first time I’d
realized
that.
Similar to Bukowski’s train rider, Fonda paints in a world where
the ocean is no longer viable. Enjoyably painted, Fonda, perhaps, pines for the
charisma of bygone painting practices. Like the six year old child, Fonda, as
is everyone, is left frowning at the ocean.
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pinke
2011
Oil on linen.
56 x 44 inches
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Untitled
2011
Oil on linen.
56 x 44 inches
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poet
2011
Oil on linen.
56 x 44 inches
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"beginnings are ends, ends are
beginnings" or "beginnings are to ends as ends are to
beginning"s or "tautological life"
2011
Oil on linen.
56 x 44 inches
|
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she comes on top
2011
Oil on linen.
60 x 48 inches
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