'Narrative Figuration' at the Sandra Small Gallery

The paintings currently hosted by the Sandra Small Gallery are, as per the exhibition title 'Narrative Figuration,' mostly figurative, sometimes with a lone personality, other times in pairs. The ambiguity of the compositions invites narrative interpretations (such as Tim Parsley's The Money Sender and His Wife, 2007). Particular compositional care is also given to architectural spaces. But what stands out in the works is the technical quality of the painting; these painters have skill.

Though young, they follow a long tradition of exemplary masters. One can sense time passed in
devotional study of color, light, composition and anatomy. This knowledge gives depth and strength to even the simplest of compositions. Their youth, though, makes them belong to contemporary life. This signifies the experience of alienation (all aspects), the voyeurism from internet videos, and the isolation of the individual. This contemporary element appears particularly in their compositions; note, for example, in the aforementioned work, how the figures’ heads are missing, giving them anonymity.

Hence their work is an intriguing encounter between the classical (technique) and the contemporary (composition); like the Roman god Janus, one face looks backward while the other forward. The results are rooted yet refreshing.
-A.C. Frabetti

'Narrative Figuration,' featuring artists Rob Anderson, Tim Parsley, Emil Robinson, Jessica Bechtel, Kate Holterhoff and Jamie Oberschlake. The Sandra Small Gallery, 124 W. Pike Street Covington, KY 41011. Through May 1. Curated by Daniel Brown (full disclosure: also a writer for AEQAI).
In photo, Parsley, Tim. The Money Sender and His Wife, 2007. Oil on Panel, 24x48in.