Tuesday, March 13, 2007

"Nude II" by Howard Rogers

"Nude II" by Howard Rogers, Oil on canvas

Howard Rogers (USA, 1932) started out as a commercial illustrator and only later in life started painting horses, cowboys, and nudes. This painting is of course super-kitsch but just imagine seeing it hanging in one room with Lisa Yuskavage and John Currin.

(image source)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you would be so kind to explain why this painting is "of course" super-kitsch? Is it perhaps because the artist was already successful while still alive?

Frank said...

It's kitsch in the sense that it's not avant-garde. You will not find it in major galleries and museums of modern art, unlike the work of Yuskavage and Currin.

It's not kitsch in the sense of being overly sentimental and mass-produced.

When this work is exhibited in for example a very expensive hotel, it will be judged differently than when exhibited at the Venice Biennale.