Adam Holzrichter, Lady Komodo
Bruno Passos, The Sculpture Thief
Trevor Knapp, Once Long Lost
“Tcharam!” … an upbeat Portuguese fanfare equivalent to “ta-da!’ in English …. is indeed appropriate here as it announces the first time that students of Odd Nerdrum have exhibited together in Chicago. The work of the Norwegian master himself does not appear - and his mythopoetic Baroque paintings are way too Euro-old-school to be shown in any local art museum. (though some small pieces have occasionally made it into Art Expo) You can go online, however, to get some idea of his imagery as well as philosophy of art. He is an outspoken proponent of what he calls “kitsch”
Collecting figurative tchotchkes has been de rigueur among Chicago Imagists from Roger Brown to Phyllis Bramson -- but Nerdrum’s favorite kitsch can only be found in art museums - not gift or toy shops. It’s appropriate for an elite, sophisticated, historically minded viewer who seeks catharsis rather than the comfort or thrills of popular entertainment. It cultivates sincerity rather than irony and aims for an emotional maturity rather than the perpetual adolescence so celebrated in Chicago. “Its nature is deeply antagonistic towards the present” and it “lavishly relishes imitation”.
In one way, Nerdrum’s pedagogy is also old-school. His students don’t pay but they do have to model or assist in studio production. Contrary to traditional ateliers, however, he doesn’t teach students how to paint like himself - he encourages them to develop their own vision- whatever it may be - and the three former students in this exhibit have indeed gone in three different directions. What they share is an emphasis on narrative content at the expense of more formal qualities. These two concerns need not be conflicted -- as proven by many art museum masterpieces - but if an immediate emotional impact is all that an artist wants -- that’s likely all a viewer will ever get. If that's what the Nerdrum school calls “kitsch” - that’s fine with me -- but not when they offer the paintings of Rembrandt, Turner, Caravaggio, Vermeer, and Chardin as examples.
Trevor Knapp’s pieces appear the most effective at delivering an immediate feeling with clarity - and their grating anxiety would work well to illustrate a gothic novel. Bruno Passos seems to deliver puzzlement rather than any other emotion. Something dramatic may be happening - or maybe these pieces are more about the history of painting. “The Sculpture Thief” has me thinking about early Picasso while “Black Coat” references Giacometti - though they are not quite as strong.
Most puzzling are the dream like fantasies of Adam Holzrichter. He has created a a luminous, casual, rumpled world without straight lines or volumes, buzzing with a kind of post-coital energy. His series, of dissipated floral altars belongs on the stage of Tannhauser’s Venusberg. A similar ambivalence toward sexual desire appears in “Lady Komodo” - an anti-erotic variation on Velazquez’ Venus - here reclining in her boudoir beside a pig and a few of the planet’s largest living reptiles. The subject is outrageous - yet the blurry painting summons a yawn rather than any feeling of anger, disgust, contempt , or even humor.
According to Tomas Kulka, the oft quoted author of “Kitsch and Art” (1994); “The objects or themes depicted by kitsch are instantly and effortlessly identifiable” Other than Trevor Knapp’s, most of the works in this show would not qualify as such. Yet neither do many of them have the distinctive formal tension of art. These are, however, highly motivated young artists who don’t follow trends. There’s no telling what they'll be doing in a decade or two.
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It wasn’t in this show, but my favorite piece in the gallery was Adam Holzrichter’s painting in the restroom. A wonderfully immersive experience in a fantasy-like forest suitable for Siegfried and Brunhilde. Note how the roll of tissue paper appears to be floating in the illusional space, while the angled tree trunk and foliage beneath defeat the corner of the room.
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