‘All violent feelings have the same effect. They produce in us falseness in all our impressions of external things, which I would generally characterize as the 'pathetic fallacy'.
John Ruskin
David Humphrey’s new paintings conjure excited feeling-states that irrationally diverge from reality. Painterly and emotional, they risk embarrassment and vividly illustrate myriad ways to hide and reveal the self, as well as to subject it to examination and ridicule.
Tears like miniature horseshoes drip upward and surround a man’s eyes; his nose is more cat than human. Cartoon foam emerges from the logo-like waves, swelling from a gesture into fake glistening drips, thought-bubbles and horsy ass-cheeks. Men with sloping shoulders and bald heads trudge off into the sunset, dwarfed by calligraphic lines and paint blobs that might be the evidence of play or the residue of mindless dementia.
The pathetic fallacy allows Humphrey to explore his subjective experience in extreme and humorous ways. Ruskin spoke of the dangers of subjectivity, but Humphrey dives headlong into those sharky waters. The paintings ask: What does it mean to be a person? To feel lonely, idiotic? To know that these feelings are clichéd?
Jennifer Coates
David Humphrey is a writer, curator and painter living and working in New York, recent shows include Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami and Triple Candie, New York. This is David Humphrey’s first solo show in London, he is represented by the Keith Talent Gallery, London and Sikemma Jenkins, New York .
Keith Talent Gallery 2-4 Tudor Rd London E9 7SN +44 (0) 2089862181 info at keithtalent.com Wed – Sat 12-6pm
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