 Parade, 2005 oil on canvas, 24" x 36" Chris Cosnowski Small toy figurines, such as army men, cowboys and Indians, and Fisher-Price family, are the primary subject matter for Chris Cosnowski's work. These fairly innocuous figures straddle a precarious placement between Romantic Realism and Social Commentary. The narrative compositions flux between a literal and conceptual presentation. The iconography of juxtaposing the Statue of Liberty with an Indian and Pilgrim is fairly obvious with regards to liberties had and taken away. A fleet of planes, cowboys and bullets, fire trucks and deflated balloons, all lend themselves to various interpretations. Coinciding the narrative aspect of the work is its homage to Minimalism. He places these toys in simple geometric settings to give the paintings a strong minimalist presence. The monochrome plastic toys function very well as solid color shapes made up of spheres and cylinders and finding the proper proportion and balance for these compositions is an important part of the process. Beyond these issues, the compositions also take a nostalgic look at a disappearing toy. Although far from innocent, they seem less harmful than many of the high-tech video games that hypnotize the youth of today. Exhibition: April 28 - May 21, 2005 Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 11 am - 6 pm Lyons Wier Gallery 511 W 25th St., No. 205 USA-New York, NY 10001 Telephone +1 212 242 62 20 Fax +1 212 242 62 38 Email lyonswier@hotmail.com www.lyonswiergallery.com |
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