For lack of a better term, I'm tempted to call Nathan Barnes' paintings pop surrealism, but his paintings are about 10 times better than most of what falls into that category. And yes, there really is such a thing. You can find it on Google and Wikipedia. Among famous artists who have been labeled pop surrealists - also called lowbrow - are Art Spiegelman, Tony Oursler, John Currin, Cindy Sherman and Robert Crumb. Most of these are outstanding artists, but I'm not so sure about Oursler, and I think Currin is a charlatan who has milked sophomoric humor and stupid looking so-called erotic imagery to get rich and famous.
Read Alec Clayton's full review of Nathan Barnes' "Open Ended" in the Music & Culture section.
NATHAN BARNES' "OPEN ENDED," 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, through Nov. 30, Pierce College, 9401 Farwest Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253.964.6500
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