Dave Cooper "Mangle"
Jonathan LeVine Gallery
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In Mangle, Cooper presents a new series of graphite drawings on polypropylene paper and oil paintings on canvas, featuring his subject matter of choice—fleshy females. Cooper’s unique aesthetic is informed by his obsession with creating billowy, gelatinous landscapes and stylized women with un-idealized physical appearances. The shapes of these nude or scantily clad figures are often exaggeratedly lumpy, with large heads, bulging eyes, shiny red cheeks and toothy grins. They interact with one another in ways that appear disturbingly violent, suggestively sensual, or both, implying bizarre narratives of perverse scenarios and intense human drama.
Through the challenging, disturbing quality of his imagery, Cooper continues to explore themes of libido, hedonism, body image, fantasy, and ambiguity with refined skill and technique. His process consists of building thin layers of sheer color and fine glaze to create smooth texture and translucent opulence to the round contours of his full-figured subjects and their surrounding environments. By applying details traditionally regarded as undesirable physical characteristics such as veiny skin, ruddy complexion and cellulite to every plump, dimpled fold of flab, Cooper’s paintings expose the artist’s admiration and fascination with the natural curves of the feminine form in zaftig proportions, beyond conventional health or beauty standards.
In the artist’s words: “A red rose is beautiful but how ubiquitous! I’d rather look in a dark corner for interesting patches of moss, lichen or mushrooms. Fashion models are utterly boring. Instead, my heart races at the sight of an awkward-looking girl with unique flaws and imperfections.”
[Image: Dave Cooper "Mangle (panel C)" oil on canvas 23.5 x 11.5 in.]
Media
Schedule
from June 26, 2010 to July 24, 2010