Charles Dunn: Bad Years

October 18 – November 26, 2014

Cindy Rucker Gallery is pleased to present Bad Years, new works by gallery artist Charles Dunn. This is his third exhibition with the gallery.

Charline Von Heyl recently said in an interview, “I always had this idea that paintings are zombies, because everybody says, ‘Painting is dead,’ and then they’re walking around, happily – dead. But now I actually think paintings are vampires, because they feed on your gaze and suck your eyes. I really have the feeling that the more a painting gets looked at, the stronger it gets.”

Von Heyl’s statement speaks about the ongoing debate over the vitality of painting in an era of new media and conceptual artworks but it seems to fittingly describe the works of Charles Dunn, who, while working very straightforwardly in abstraction on panel, often employs overlays of the search for a deeper spiritual connection and the occult. His past works held visual references to Arp and late Guston while at the same time referencing graffiti and quilt making. His latest works have reduced his signature swaying forms further, reveling in the translucency of his medium.

All of the untitled works in this exhibition play with form, line and color. Each abstract composition toys with line and edge, giving each form an ethereal glow. Painting isn’t just about making seductive images, it’s a glimpse into a psyche, the depiction of the aura of an experience. Dunn’s works are captivating in their seemingly simple strokes, seizing the viewer’s attention and not letting go.