Evolution of Birds

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on May 30, 2014 at 3:16pm

Curator’s Comments:

 

Evolution of Birds is a curious image, seeming to fuse disparate stylistic elements from a Chagall-like dream to Pop influenced psychedelic mysticism.   The densely populated birds crowd and overtake the smaller human figures within the picture plane, but don’t appear menacing.  The human figures themselves appear to be of a specific time period, rather than rendered in the same universal naturalism/abstraction of the birds. (Are they supposed to be recognizable iconic images? )  I find the small female portrait in the upper right to be particularly doll-like in its diminutive status and position.  The achromatic palette is also an interesting choice for the figures, connecting them to each other and separating them out from the lavishly colored cacophony of toucans, parrots and owls.  The bright yellow hue peaking through the small pieces of open ground helps to animate the space, and corroborate a vibrant bustle of activity.  Flattened with the space, the birds ultimately appear designed as a larger decorative motif, or are at least passively acted upon by outside evolutionary forces. The piece entitled End of Animals is slightly more macabre in its title and implication, but the graphic imagery also offers whimsical relief through calavera –esque skeletons and ornamental elements.   The large blue elephant inspired shape in the center is a great visual rest and hierarchal component, allowing all of the other active elements to swirl around it. The geometric designs remind me of many global traditions and patterns, but meld into a unique homogenized personal vision.