Artist Glenn Barr, who worked on Nickelodeon's "Ren and Stimpy Show" in the mid-1990s and was one of two artists from Detroit's 1990s underground art scene to make it big, will be presenting his first local show in seven years. Barr is most known for his surrealist and noir-styled paintings and prints, but along with his re-emergence comes the added style of lighter, more realistic works.As mentioned in an article from the Detroit News:
"When I started out, my work was irreverent, campy, erotic, alluring and somewhat dangerous in theme," Barr says, as if that's all safely in the past. But even a cursory look at his new stuff suggests the continuing vitality of those themes...
...By contrast, Barr's recent, realistic works spring from the mythic realm of vintage advertisements and noir paperbacks -- and more recently the folk art decorating the sides of Detroit beauty salons.
It's this move into realism that tickles Tom Thewes, who carried Barr's work at Detroit's late C-Pop Gallery until it closed earlier this year. In particular, Thewes points to "Evening," a tension-filled work in which a well-dressed man helps a woman into her fur coat.
"It's beautiful and in the vein of an old 1950s illustration," Thewes says, noting that Barr collects old illustrations by the masters. "There was a whole story there that didn't need all kinds of crazy weird creatures. I loved it."
"It's beautiful and in the vein of an old 1950s illustration," Thewes says, noting that Barr collects old illustrations by the masters. "There was a whole story there that didn't need all kinds of crazy weird creatures. I loved it."
Barr does continue to use his darker creativity to produce the quirky noir works that everyone associates him with, and his approach of combining elements from his old and new styles create an innovative mix of art worth seeing.
Exhibition Details:
Start Date/ Time:
October 28, 2009 at 6:00pm
End Date/ Time:
November 27, 2009 at 9:00pm
Location:
Tel: 248-246-9544
