~JOE BRADLEY . . throw ’em, up
THROW EM’ UP, and let them stick, er . . . RIP !!
JOE BRADLEY – ‘LOTUS BEATERS’
the show opened MAY 16, 2013
MAY 17 – JUNE 29, 2013
Gavin Brown’s enterprise – 620 GREENWICH ST – WEST VILLAGE, NYC
JOE BRADLEY, ‘Dutch’. 2013.
oil on canvas, 105 x 150 in. framed.
the paintings in the following rooms, were less all-over dense ‘mind sets’ or ‘heartbeats’, than actual ‘metaphorical’ or ‘evolutionary’ depictions of . . things, and thoughts. it’s up to you, to connect the . . . passages.
JOE BRADLEY, ‘Smoothie Maypole’, 2013.
oil on canvas, 96 x 102-1/4 in. framed.
these paintings were more lyrical, and more . . . narrative. the action, took place outside the body, and out . . in the world. there was a lot to look at, and a lot to . . . consider.
a lot to figure .. out.
detail, JOE BRADLEY, ‘Smoothie Maypole’.
the colors were . . unpredictable, and .. ‘talkative’.
there was a lot to consider, a lot to figure out. a lot of feelings . . . and mind ‘grabs’, without ‘words’.
JOE BRADLEY , ‘Smoothie Maypole.’
it was kind of a super smart game of: what you see . . .
is what . . . you ‘behold’.
whatever . . you were: ENGAGED into the surface. into the process. into the artist’s thoughts.
and all, most definite: NON-DIGITAL.
JOE BRADLEY, ‘Love Boat’, 2013.
oil on canvas, 124 x 158 in. framed
was it a guy thing ?
or just a ‘tough’ thing ?
I thought it was pretty beyond ‘pure’ academic, and very . . emotional.
it was also a ‘quilt’ thing. and therefore . . women’s work !! haha.
look at the ‘grid’, it’s a ‘quilt’ – that’s . . . the under-lying organization.
JOE BRADLEY, ‘Lotus Beater’, 2013.
oil on canvas, 105 x 150 in. framed.
the show got it’s name from this painting, which also is the one painting which seemed, ‘human-centric’. the body/figure on the left.
Lotus ‘beating’, and Lotus ‘eating’ . . do some of the research for yourself !!
profound, mystical, and . . mysterious.
there is no one definitive .. in sight, it’s a relevant yin yang, even today . . .
well, you don’t want to walk your lifetime on earth submerged in the mud, in the banal. but you also don’t want to lose grip of ‘real’ life going by, with your head totally . . in the flowers/clouds.
it’s funny to consider that, a such sweet flower . . in a pond, can be so capable of . . rockin’ the boat.
background: Lotus-eaters
IMAGE: Nymphaea Lotus
it’s interesting to note that many of the paintings in this show, seem to begin with, and retain: a surface composition that is divided into ‘quarters’. in fact many of them do have a dominating ‘quarter’ – that remains as a ‘focal’ point . . . see: ‘Love Boat’ above.
‘Lotus Beater’ also has a quadrant ‘organization’.
‘Smoothie Maypole’ – is a classic ‘9 patch’ / a grid of 3 by 3. 3 down, 3 across. 3 wide.
this botanical illustration, is also, in fact . . a classic nine patch – in organization.
sometimes the surface of the Bradley painting is broken down a bit further, into a slightly smaller system . . say: sixths. as in ‘Dutch’ above. like a quilt, these divisions are grid-like. they retain an up-right orientation. the paintings are not quite as all-over ‘messy’, as in old school abstract expressionists, Jackson Pollack or Mark Rothko – as they might appear to be – on first glance.
and in fact, VERY much like, or HOW … this botanical flower illustration is divided into ‘organic’ and compositional . . quarters/sixths. look for the squares. if you are not quite an experienced artist, just look for the ‘squares’ – they are there, unspoken, but ‘ruling’ the plant’s separate element / boundaries . . . in the background.
esp take note of the the top right hand ‘quarter’, the single white flower in bloom. that’s obvious.
‘realist’ botanical flower painting vs. Joe Bradley ‘abstraction’ . . . quelle / interesting.
so contradictory. and, yet .. NOT.
JOE BRADLEY, ‘untitled’, 2013.
oil on canvas, 124-1/4 x 123 in.
I guess on that note, we should conclude .. like this.
yes, JOE BRADLEY . . is a many-splendored . . mind.
you know what they say, “beauty is in the mind of the beholder.”
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH