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Marc Dennis: New Paintings |
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Written by Joe Dirosa
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Marc Dennis’s masterful technique and subject matter come together to
create an exhibition of small to large hyper-realistic oil paintings of
intimate, seductive, and often perverse interpretations of the
of the interactions of animals, flowers, plants and other natural
forces. With a light-handed use of narrative and metaphor, his style of
realism in its lucid objectivity results in a type of familiar but
unexpected beauty. The contexts exhibited within his paintings hint at
contemporary dilemmas of everyday life, suggesting that the natural
world - as a metaphor for human behavior - is filled with
contradictions and complexities, but also moments of reflection and
instances of wonder.
The artist states, "I believe a viewer always brings something fresh
and personal to a work of art. My job as an artist is to hint at
something outside the picture; to prod and poke at the notions of
beauty and seduction, to tug and chew at the unseen and unmeasured
membrane that separates intellect from intuition, and fact from
fiction, sometimes coming away with a raw piece. My art is successful
when I leave my images open for a simultaneous emotional and
intellectual spark."
In a previous exhibition catalog, Andrea Inselmann, Curator of Painting
and Drawing at the Johnson Museum at Cornell University, wrote "In his
decidedly postmodern paintings, Dennis seduces the viewer to look
closely by using familiar and inviting genres like still-life and
portraiture to ensnare the viewer who subsequently could not resist the
rich layers of emerging meaning."
Of previous exhibitions, Art Papers wrote, "Using the style of
seventeenth-century Baroque artists, Dennis' often surreal contexts are
disorienting and forceful." The Forward wrote "His paintings offer the
technical prowess and skill of old masters such as Velasquez and
Caravaggio"; and The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote "Seductiveness,
as opposed to beauty, is at risk in Dennis’ revisionist atmosphere."
Dennis’s works have been displayed in various private and public
collections including The Cleveland Museum of Art; The Institute of
Contemporary Art, Boston, MA; The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston,
TX; The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC; The San Jose Museum of Art,
San Jose, CA; The Nueberger Museum, SUNY, Purchase, NY; The Portland
Museum of Art, Portland, OR; The Arnot Art Museum, Elmira, NY; The
Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; and The Memorial Art Gallery,
Rochester, NY.
Tricia Cline and Toc Fetch - Exiles of Lower Utopia and Marc Dennis -
New Paintings remains on exhibit and open to the public through January
18, 2006. Visitors will also be delighted by Bettcher’s recently
established division, FLIP which offers a wide variety of
luxurious books and publications from the print houses of Te Neues and
affiliates of Distributed Art Publishers.
Bettcher Gallery and FLIP are located in the center of the Fine Arts
District of the Biscayne Corridor and within the heart of Soyka’s
55th Street Station’s enclave of shops and restaurants at Biscayne
Boulevard and 55 Street. Gallery hours are Tuesday:
11:00-5:00 PM, Wednesday through Saturday 12:00-10:00 PM, or by
appointment by calling (305)758-7556.
www.bettchergallery.com
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