Ecce Homo (Wm. S. Burroughs) 72" x 48"
oil on canvas
2014
|
Pop-up exhibitions fascinate me. I am always interested in alternatives, options. To me they are the basis for
creativity. I know deep down in my
gut that there is always more than one way to do things. Bill Rose is a splendid example.
I have watched his art for years with rapt attention. Rose will always be associated with the
grid and the grid is the basis for a great deal in our society. It is a primary tool for organization
be it graph paper, architecture or our thoughts. And Bill Rose is a very thoughtful man.
Last Friday I attended his pop up exhibition at the Arts and
Culture Centre in St. John's. It
was delicious irony to see his art there at the abandoned site of our
provincial art gallery. What made
this particular showing interesting was the mix of Bill Rose art. Some of it was old, some it was new and
so it gave a new twist, a refreshing perspective on the man's art.
Bill Rose is a saucy fellow. I have always enjoyed the role of humor in his work. He takes pot shots at so much: politics, war, economy, the role of
landscape in Newfoundland art. It
is gallows humor. Let's laugh at
this painful topic so we can get a little closer to it.
If I close my eyes and try and remember what I saw a few
days back, this is what I see in my mind's eye. A black velvet painting of a boy on a potty with text
stenciled over it with a reference to Stephen Harper. A gorgeous painting of king-sized roses that has been sliced
up to fit into slide holders, i.e. two-inch squares. The plastic gave it a voluptuous quality that I never
expected. I was expecting a
barrier not an invitation.
Neither was I prepared for the new work. I know Bill Rose to be an exceedingly
careful painter, capable of infinite detail and small work but one who chooses
to work on the large scale. He can
do big work without it looking inflated.
And that's saying something.
So, instead of large work with a lot of control I discover
big work with a whole lot of confidence and a new style. It is looser, more relaxed and
painterly. This is exciting. He is still playing with my mind but in
a new way. He is banking on what
is in my memory. Toying with my
mind's eye. And I like it. A lot.
Bill on a more political note. Text and image marry so well in his art. |
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