Audio By Carbonatix
Charles Parson and Collin Parson. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center museum director Blake Milteer has put together a major duet, Continuance: Charles and Collin Parson, taking advantage of the unusual circumstance in which a father and son are both committed contemporary artists. It makes sense to link Chuck to his son Collin, but the connections between their respective oeuvres are not readily apparent. In some sense, they come from opposite poles; Chuck’s pieces have an emphatic presence, being made of industrial materials that convey a sense of weight, while Collin’s are often light — literally — since he sometimes uses hidden LEDs, the glow of which has no actual physicality except on a molecular level. For Continuance, Chuck and Collin are each given their own dedicated spaces, with Collin’s rooms coming first. The two parts were conceived as separate shows; the Collin section was organized by CSFAC curator Joy Armstrong, while the Chuck section was curated by Milteer. Through February 15 at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs, 719-634-5583, csfineartscenter.org. Reviewed January 15.
Matisse and Friends. This tight and tasty little painting show at the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building has really flown under the radar, yet there are some undeniably important works in it, which should have been enough to catch our attention. Perhaps it’s gone unnoticed because it’s made up of only fourteen works — or maybe it’s because Brilliant, the Cartier show, has out-dazzled it. Though Matisse’s name is in the title, the show is mostly made up of works by his friends, with only four Matisses included. “Open Window, Collioure,” an acknowledged masterpiece, dates from 1905, the year the term “fauves” was coined to describe Matisse and his friends. It was meant to be insulting — the word means “wild beasts” in French — with the reference being to the signature moves of crude brushwork, perfunctory drafting and the use of unnatural colors. There are other fauvist masterpieces here, including works by André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck. Also notable are a bizarre Kees Van Dongen and a lyrical pair of harbor scenes by Raoul Dufy. Through February 8 at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000, denverartmuseum.org. Reviewed January 22.
Myopia. Mark Mothersbaugh, co-founder of the 1970s new-wave rock group DEVO, has had a parallel career in the visual arts and was a budding artist before he became a musician. Celebrities masquerading as artists is all the rage — think James Franco or Miley Cyrus — which made the idea of Myopia, Mothersbaugh’s solo at the MCA, a little suspect. But doubts about his commitment to art are immediately dispelled by the quality of the work in the show. From the first gallery — which is given over to Mothersbaugh’s pre-DEVO efforts — onward (the show occupies all three floors of the MCA), even the most skeptical will be convinced of Mothersbaugh’s dedication, particularly because he’s sustained it for over forty years. The exhibit was curated by MCA director Adam Lerner, who met Mothersbaugh at, of all places, the Denver County Fair, and who came away believing him to be among the greatest creative forces of our time. The show also benefits from a gorgeous exhibition design by Ben Griswold. Through April 12 at MCA Denver, 1485 Delgany Street, 303-298-7554, mcadenver.org.
Sam Scott et al. New Mexico’s history of modern art has long been intertwined with Colorado’s. A case in point is Sam Scott: Desert Light, which is on view at the William Havu Gallery; Scott, a well-known New Mexico artist, has shown his pieces regularly in Colorado over the past forty years. Before moving to New Mexico in 1969, Scott studied art at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where his teachers included Philip Guston and Clyfford Still; stylistically, he’s an heir to the abstract expressionism he learned at Still’s knee. But instead of creating non-objective compositions like Still did, Scott typically includes abstracted references to the landscape, which explains the title Desert Light and puts it in the landscape tradition. Sandwiched between the beginning and end of the Scott show is Eugene Newmann, featuring paintings and works on paper by another key figure in New Mexico abstraction. Up on the mezzanine is Dana Newmann, an intimate presentation of funky-surrealist found-object sculptures in which the artist fills drawers and boxes with evocative elements. Through January 31 at William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360, williamhavugallery.com. Reviewed January 8.
