Stay in the Loop
BSR publishes on a weekly schedule, with an email newsletter every Wednesday and Thursday morning. There’s no paywall, and subscribing is always free.
A preference for the past
Rick Buttari at F.A.N. Gallery
The bulk of this show consists of cityscapes, with the remainder taken up by still lifes and drawings. The drawings are fascinating.
Cash for Life, depicting customers lining at a newsstand to purchase lottery tickets, looks like a black-and-white photograph. Gawkers is similarly detailed. Long Bob Meusel Throwing and Fire at the Polo Grounds exude all the haziness of sports memories recalled.
So we seem to be in the presence of an artist in two minds: On the one hand, Buttari is a keen observer of people and something of a social critic; on the other, a recorder of the cityscape he lives in.
The "nostalgia" drawings suggest that Buttari is attracted to the past at least as much to the present— perhaps more, considering the care he takes with the drawings. The oils, by contrast, seem less detailed.
Buttari's still life pieces are colorful, and he achieves some interesting arrangements of shapes. But for all of that, they were the portion of the exhibit that least engaged me. I hope that Buttari will continue his baseball history series.
Cash for Life, depicting customers lining at a newsstand to purchase lottery tickets, looks like a black-and-white photograph. Gawkers is similarly detailed. Long Bob Meusel Throwing and Fire at the Polo Grounds exude all the haziness of sports memories recalled.
So we seem to be in the presence of an artist in two minds: On the one hand, Buttari is a keen observer of people and something of a social critic; on the other, a recorder of the cityscape he lives in.
The "nostalgia" drawings suggest that Buttari is attracted to the past at least as much to the present— perhaps more, considering the care he takes with the drawings. The oils, by contrast, seem less detailed.
Buttari's still life pieces are colorful, and he achieves some interesting arrangements of shapes. But for all of that, they were the portion of the exhibit that least engaged me. I hope that Buttari will continue his baseball history series.
What, When, Where
Rick Buttari: “New Paintings.†Through September 28, 2013 at F.A.N. Gallery, 221 Arch St. (215) 922-5155 or www.thefangallery.com.
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.
