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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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George Thompson @ AND Gallery
Wednesday 04 June @ 12:18:59 |
 by Jake Keeler
Art can be a sanctuary and a vehicle of criticism with various definitions of success—an open atmosphere to new ideas, and a culture that’s built on tolerance and free expression. George Thompson’s exhibit of paintings titled Business Casual embodies this idea, taking sanctuary in art while exposing the true colors of big business and capitalism through a counter-culture forum.
Detail of a George Thompson business exec
The paintings that make up this show are outstanding. They show a raw, almost unteachable talent for the medium, while maintaining strong affirmation of the subject matter and conceptual message.
The work deals with ideas of corporate America, and manages to capture all the sleaze and demonic qualities of the worst kind of capitalists and the world they create. Some come in the form of characterized portraits of corporate vice presidents, while others are more reminiscent of Ralph Steadman’s illustrations, becoming the final evolution of the businessman into capitalist monster with cell phone in tow.
The viewer’s cultural background and experience play a role in understanding and appreciating much of Thompson’s work: there is the large wall painting and installation of Illuminati business execs, and also the more intimate work, treated with attention to fine detail, with the best qualities of design and illustration, melding beautifully with more painterly aspects.
The only area where the work fails without recovery is in the presentation of the work as a whole; is the show built around an idea of an overall installation? Do the various formal aesthetics represent a quality of imperialistic appropriation? Or is it simply a variety of work spawned from a strong conceptual agenda? These questions leave the viewer dealing with elements of various artistic genres not fully incorporated, and a certain lack of cohesion that ultimately becomes distracting to the power of the individual works. Paint drips on the wall under paintings, and a wall partially painted red with pieces of scrap wood only muddy the conceptual water, not adding anything essential. These formal gestures suggest a lack of confidence in the paintings to stand on their own two feet, when in fact they could stand completely alone.
George Thompson’s work is the kind of stuff that one likes to see: talented, evolving, formally sound, and conceptually strong. How the work is presented, or how it communicates George-Thompson-as-an-artist becomes overshadowed when considering the quality of the work itself.
George Thompson: Business Casual continues through July 4. AND Gallery, 526 Selby Ave., St. Paul. 651-222-1346.
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