Art Image of The Week - Erick Swenson

OK.. The MAO Staff Summer Vacation is almost freaking over.. So next week we'll return to our normal dull posting schedule..

This week we're going to try something a little bit different..

This work of art is an installation by Dallas, Texas artist, Erick Swenson. Yes... some great artistic bright creative people do come from TX..just not above average presidential politicians!  These are the photo's of a single work...so we actually have three images this week.

I first saw Erick's haunting hyper realistic work at a show at the James Cohan Gallery.

Plus he also was included (and arguably one of the few standouts) in the 2004 Whitney Biennial.

This work spans more than seven meters, and is Untitled from 2004 - 2005. It's an allegorical winter scene made of Styrofoam snow, polyurethane ice which engulf a brick street featuring a white mystical frozen deer.   

For more info on Erick Swenson here is

• 1. An Art In America Review by Charles Dee Mitchell of one of his past shows.
• 2. A profile on Wikipedia
• 3. The artists most current  Bio from The Saatchi Gallery
• 4. He's in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art Forth Worth TX
• 5. A 2003 exhibit at the Hammer
• 6. A project at ArtSpace of San Antonio TX

So.. What do you think of Erick Swenson's Art and this specific work? Fan or Foe??

Comments

[Rob]

MAO it's about time you posted something interesting for your image of the week!

Erick Swenson.. Great Artist... and this is one of his breakthrough works.

[Dan Cooney]

Fan

[sparklemachine]

What a catching serene scene. Maybe also because there is something I just love about dear heads, even Bambi has something mystical going on. Bambi wasn't so white and pure as this one. Very, very strong presence.

[A.J.]

love at first sight...
but then the Narnia-ishness begins to crack my teeth.

[lisa hunter]

Wow. Fan. Now I have to figure out whether the allusion to the Unicorn tapestries is intentional or just in my mind.

(By the way, how does someone from Texas know what snow and ice look like?)

[Kenny T]

Finally. You should go on vacation more often.

[Christine]

Erick Swenson Foe.. Not a Fan.. I'm surprised to see so many people falling for these simple showplace gimmicks!

His work may be interesting to see for a few minutes, but it looks more like a theater set, then a work of contemporary art.
Not an important artist.. he will be forgotten before the ice ever melts!

[Tom B]

Christine you are a west cost ignorant art slut!!

Erick Swenson's work is Brilliant!

[Rick]

MAO, Great Blog.

But, I think you should thaw this one out and BBQ up some good Venison steaks.. that would be the best use for this "Art Work of the Week."

Not Art, Just a bad show!

[DC]

Fan!!

[Nicole Amundson]

I am a great fan of this piece and also of his other works. Living in Texas, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to see some of his work in person.

(...and yes, it does snow in Texas.)

[Wray, William]

OK, fuck thats cool.

[Liane Ricci]

Fan. I saw this piece at QED in Los Angeles. It is beautiful.

[Lauren]

Swenson's work is fantastic. It evokes so many emotions that make me pleased that art of this nature is still successfully holding its own in some of the worlds most prestigious galleries. The attention to detail is genius and each scene he creates holds a degree of the fine balance between tragedy and comedy. His pieces are theatrical without being hackneyed or gaudy and are executed with exquisite subtlety and poise. Whoever made that derogatory comment above clearly has very poor taste and little knowledge of the contextualization of works such as these.

Thanks to the owner of this blog for the great images.

Regards,

Lauren, UK.