Revisiting Childhood Part Three

Revisiting Childhood --Part Three

-Mind of Science, Eye of God (2000)

As I have been exploring the works of contemporary artists who have mined the riches of their childhood memories to discover the influences these remembrances have upon their current creations I must mention the encaustic paintings of Chicago Artist Dan Addington. His “Heroes & Villains I and II” in oil paint, tar, and encaustic wax on panel is also collaged with comic book pages. The artist explains his powerfully graphic, moving, sensual, and tactile paintings thus:

“They are scenes from a mythology of heroes peculiar to Mid-Twentieth Century American boyhood, learned monthly, an issue at a time. Stories to be studied, page-by-page. Scenes to be played out in backyards and on garage rooftops. Volumes of rare apocrypha offer up old secrets and hidden truths. Illuminated manuscripts of venerated pulp texts lie scattered about the floor and bed. Inspired narratives of action, adventure and justice swell up and swirl about while sacred hymns of gunfighter ballads pour from the speakers of a tiny Sears & Roebuck turntable. When, as a child, I first found and read the old illustrated pulp westerns and adventure books that my dad had bought and read when he was young, it was the first time I truly understood that he was once so much like me – that through time and memory we shared the same mythology. The thin cord between our generations was pulled tight.”

In Dan Addington’s paintings, figures are dark, mysterious, bold and heroic in gesture, as well they might be, considering the subject matter and emotional resonance they must have had for the artist as a child. He is clearly exploring some deep psychological territory that makes use of abundant symbols of heroism and struggles for power that our culture has to offer. In addition, they suggest a meditative exploration of twilight moods mingled with something else. The large angelic figures in other works are equally metaphysical, and mysterious. Addington has acquired a style and media that work well together with his subject matter of memory and dream.

This mix of media and collaged materials got me thinking about the possibilities of alternative ways of painting, inspiring me to do a bit of experimenting myself.

Lets see if I can manage to post some of Dan Addington’s inspiring images…otherwise...Looking into his website one finds clues to the meanings of some powerful paintings:

http://danaddington.com/art/index.html