Rockman Review

 Alexis Rockman’s recent attention is greatly undeserved.  His works rob wall space from artists with more merit. His paintings have always failed to inspire and often rely on effects in lieu of technique.  The themes presented are the simplest illustration of an idea.  Never a metaphorical allegory, think New Yorker comic strip.  The first thing that comes to your mind is cartoonish illustration. Rockman is somehow more illustrative and kitsch than Rockwell.  

   ‘Gowanus’ unfortunately feels a little flat.  A little un-lived in.  Like a diorama.  It seems to belong as a mural in a dated shopping mall.  Works such as ‘Soccer’ while awesome as an idea, remind one more of a 90’s t-shirt than a fine art painting.  Here the future of body modification is interesting but fails as a painting; which is disappointing because the messages he depicts are important.  While the surreal image ‘The Farm’ seems to reference Dalí, the theme of GMO’s and the environment come off as gags and not a successful call to action.  

   His work ‘South,’ at Mana Contemporary this winter, seems to be a step in the right direction.  Missing are the exaggerated and garish figures.  A subtler approach is successfully employed allowing the audience to contemplate the landscape.  It doesn’t hit the viewer over the head with the idea as many of his past works have.  The icebergs are painted quite nicely.  Rockman captured the harshness and the delicateness of the ice as it melts.  

   Follow Rockman’s career at his website and stay tuned to Sharks Eat Meat for daily contemporary art and reviews.  

Review by John Coulter

Photo of Rockman's work by Thom Sanchez