More often than not, if one describes an artist’s work as “social” or “political” the end result is simple propaganda. There’s nothing left for the viewer to explore or discover – the work is simply a biased view of life, posing all of the questions as well as the (supposed) answers to them. The show ends up being a sermon, preaching endlessly to a choir of like-minded parishoners.
Most of us don’t go to art shows to be preached to. That’s why it’s so hard to describe the work of Carl Moore in polarizing cable-news terminology, which usually describes art that isn’t open to new people, or new ideas, or exploration of any kind. But Moore’s work is the exception – it may be social, it may be political, but the real underlying theme is humanism. His work explores that which unites people under the common flag of humanity, compassion, and the exploration of just what the heck it is to be alive.
Carl Moore’s new show People, Places, Perspectives covers a lot of ground. Not only are there a large number of paintings in the show, but the themes covered are varied as well. One painting, called “Child of Color” caught me immediately.
Child of Color, 24 x 18", acrylic on canvas, 2010
Child of Color seems to wryly suggest that all children are children of color (and I guess I haven’t seen any transparent children yet). He also veers away from any hokey oversaturated tugging-at-the-heartstings here, using a stylized color palette of pastel pinks, blues, and oranges (instead of actual skin-tones) to illustrate the point that all children are colorful and deserving of love.
Next is Urban Garden. A women peers out of her window, over a city skyline in the background, with green leaves growing, curling, and stretching up the canvas toward the bright yellow sun on the top right.
Urban Garden, 18 x 24", acrylic on canvas, 2010
Moore’s lines in Urban Garden are a staple of all his work: hard edges, orderly and clean. The paintings are so precise, they are almost sign-like, resembling stylized posters seen in decades past. Yet the subject matter is anything but old. The figures themselves aren’t often overly expressive. Moore uses the figures in context with their environment to create the expression that is then relayed to the viewer. These aren’t portraits of people, they are portraits of life.
One such fact of life is expressed in the painting War.
War, 24 x 18", acrylic on canvas, 2010
In harsh red and black, Moore studies the violence of two birds fighting. Feathers are torn loose from the combatants as their bodies twist in mid-flight to gain an advantage over their opponent. Both birds are the same: same color, same species, but seem bent on destruction of an opponent that is almost a mirror image.
In the end, Moore’s work seems to focus on what unites us instead of what divides us. Race, religion, political affiliation: these things disappear in People, Places, Perspectives, which runs through the month of May at L Ross Gallery. Moore’s work is a fantastic blend of style and substance, managing to be both evocative and rugged at the same time.
-Ian Lemmonds
Info:
An opening reception (free and open to the public) takes place on Friday May 7th, 2010 from 6-8 p.m. The artist’s work will be on display, and the artist will be in attendance. All are encouraged to attend.
L Ross Gallery:
5040 Sanderlin Avenue, Suite 104
Memphis, TN 38117
http://www.lrossgallery.com
