|
Seeing Mark Ryden’s exhibit at the Frye is like witnessing the religious festivities of the Yaqui Indians in Arizona: so much seems familiar, yet everywhere your expectations are turned upside-down. Bunnies are friendly, children are innocent, stuffed animals are cute, right? Then why is the stuffed animal carving meat at a butcher shop? What did Snow White do with the dwarves to give her that satisfied look? And what does Abraham Lincoln have to do with anything?
On the surface, Ryden’s paintings are cute enough to fool the casual viewer into mistaking them for nostalgic reincarnations of “sad-eyed children” pictures. The colors are as bright as Little Golden Books and the individual objects pop off the canvas as if intended for an audience more used to Rocky and Bullwinkle. But it only takes a short while to perceive the darkness coated within this candyfloss. The little girl with the TV body of “Puella Anima Aureo” is feeding a bunny with her blood; monsters hide in the pink swirls of Snow White’s steak; and the reassuring visage of Abraham Lincoln is utterly reconfigured when placed, bodiless and bleeding from the neck, on the end of a child’s bed.
What is striking about Ryden’s work is how he’s taken classical art references—Manet’s “Olympia,” Catholic iconography, planetary glyphs and Chinese characters— and added some Cremaster-y bees, then created a wholly original, modern symbology. Squeezed this close together they all start to seem... logical. “The number 23... the bottle of wine... the sign for Taurus.…”
Once again, the Frye has taken its mission of showing representational art and turned it on its head with an exhibit both daring and offensive. This is the must-see collection of the year.
Wondertoonel runs through February 13. The Frye is located at 704 Terry Ave in Seattle. For more information call 206.622.9250 or visit fryeart.org.
|
