Barnaby Furnas keeps getting more interesting to me. There is a sloppiness there that is sometimes in service of his imagery and sometimes is at odds with it. I wonder when his next show is, do you know?
Furnas is an excellent painter with a range of technique and a beautiful touch. Maybe one of the best of the young 'celebratory' painters around. His subject matter is something that has befuddled me recently and maybe caused me to like him less as an artist all around. His effervescent paint handling seems to work in opposing ways depending on weather it is employed in a 'war' painting or a 'rock concert' painting. Compositionally, he has mastered both types of scenes, but the original opposition pull of beauty/dread in the war scenes has taken a 180 and become a completely celebratory enviornment in the rock concert paintings. Maybe this is a simplistic way of looking at it, but I feel one body of work says something different than the other body of work while employing the exact same technique. I find myself appreciating both-maybe the war scenes more just because he became 'known' to me that way. But his style really fuses with his subject in the concert images. The only thing that gnaws at me is his ability to even-handedly employ his 'style' regardless of the subject - possibly smacking too much of 'craftsmanship'. I'm being picky though, and think he's a tremendous painter.
I like him too, but a little bit suspect of that even handedness you mention... I thought his last show got repetitive and started to look a lot like product.
MM I hope soon. I have not seen his work in person and had a hard time finding any images from the last two years. This painting is from 2000. So I am not to familiar with what he did and is now doing but what I have seen I think it is really great and I was suprised that I hadn't posted him sooner. BB do you know where I can see his work?
Last I checked he was showing with Marianne Boesky. He was in the last Whitney Biennial. I also noticed that his work is degrading at a high rate - 2 yr. old paintings full of cracks. Maybe he's resolved this issue. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
I got this image off of Modern art because Marianne Boesky didn't have any thing that I liked. I missed his work at the Whitney. I think he went to school at the same time as Dana Schutz, they have a lot of similarities.
They do have a lot of similarities. Both use an ecstatic cartoony figuration as the basis for their formalist noodling. There's a lot of cutsy, cartoony stuff around right now, but the fact that these painters do this while employing ab ex/minimalist markmaking sets them apart in the minds of artists, collectors and museums. Maybe because of this, their work is less personal than some. But it's hard to argue with their skills and the formats they've chosen to work in.
I just want to add my 2 cents to the well kempt PaintersNYC page. Hopefully other painters will catch the fever! Painter, have you seen Brian Calvin's work? Some like it, some don't - I love it!!!
I agree with MM, BB I could learn a lot from you. I don't have so much to say but I love to listen. I also like brian Calvin. I mentioned him in my Miami report but have not posted him because I am trying to stick to NY painters, but I will at some point have to branch out.
Oh yeah - PaintersNYC, duh. What about Gina Magid? Shows at Feature Inc. Not what I'm usually into, but a very good painter. She's in a group show coming up on the 21st at Sandra Gering.
The paintings are made with Urethane...(at least the ones in question)...maybe just Oil on Linen ala the change other Enamel Painters had to make for collectors. You know the names...Hume, Calame, Issenhigh.
15 comments:
Barnaby Furnas keeps getting more interesting to me. There is a sloppiness there that is sometimes in service of his imagery and sometimes is at odds with it. I wonder when his next show is, do you know?
Your blog is so much fun to scroll down through.
Furnas is an excellent painter with a range of technique and a beautiful touch. Maybe one of the best of the young 'celebratory' painters around. His subject matter is something that has befuddled me recently and maybe caused me to like him less as an artist all around. His effervescent paint handling seems to work in opposing ways depending on weather it is employed in a 'war' painting or a 'rock concert' painting. Compositionally, he has mastered both types of scenes, but the original opposition pull of beauty/dread in the war scenes has taken a 180 and become a completely celebratory enviornment in the rock concert paintings. Maybe this is a simplistic way of looking at it, but I feel one body of work says something different than the other body of work while employing the exact same technique. I find myself appreciating both-maybe the war scenes more just because he became 'known' to me that way. But his style really fuses with his subject in the concert images. The only thing that gnaws at me is his ability to even-handedly employ his 'style' regardless of the subject - possibly smacking too much of 'craftsmanship'. I'm being picky though, and think he's a tremendous painter.
I like him too, but a little bit suspect of that even handedness you mention... I thought his last show got repetitive and started to look a lot like product.
MM I hope soon.
I have not seen his work in person and had a hard time finding any images from the last two years. This painting is from 2000. So I am not to familiar with what he did and is now doing but what I have seen I think it is really great and I was suprised that I hadn't posted him sooner. BB do you know where I can see his work?
Last I checked he was showing with Marianne Boesky. He was in the last Whitney Biennial. I also noticed that his work is degrading at a high rate - 2 yr. old paintings full of cracks. Maybe he's resolved this issue. I look forward to seeing what he does next.
I got this image off of Modern art because Marianne Boesky didn't have any thing that I liked. I missed his work at the Whitney. I think he went to school at the same time as Dana Schutz, they have a lot of similarities.
They do have a lot of similarities. Both use an ecstatic cartoony figuration as the basis for their formalist noodling. There's a lot of cutsy, cartoony stuff around right now, but the fact that these painters do this while employing ab ex/minimalist markmaking sets them apart in the minds of artists, collectors and museums. Maybe because of this, their work is less personal than some. But it's hard to argue with their skills and the formats they've chosen to work in.
BB you need to start a blog!!! You have a lot to say and you say it well.
I just want to add my 2 cents to the well kempt PaintersNYC page. Hopefully other painters will catch the fever! Painter, have you seen Brian Calvin's work? Some like it, some don't - I love it!!!
i love it too bb.
Have you done any work today fb? You're bloggin' your little heart out!
I agree with MM, BB I could learn a lot from you. I don't have so much to say but I love to listen.
I also like brian Calvin. I mentioned him in my Miami report but have not posted him because I am trying to stick to NY painters, but I will at some point have to branch out.
Oh yeah - PaintersNYC, duh.
What about Gina Magid? Shows at Feature Inc. Not what I'm usually into, but a very good painter. She's in a group show coming up on the 21st at Sandra Gering.
I will check her out.
The paintings are made with Urethane...(at least the ones in question)...maybe just Oil on Linen ala the change other Enamel Painters had to make for collectors. You know the names...Hume, Calame, Issenhigh.
Post a Comment