This past week the “Monsters of Pop” group show opened at the Gallery 1988 in LA. The show features work by Netherland, Kiersten Essenpreis, Brandon Bird and Dave MacDowell. While I liked much of the work in the show, Dave MacDowell’s pieces stood out above the rest not only because of the obvious technical skill he possesses, but the amazing ideas that he keeps churning out as well.
He has five works in the show, four of which are homages to popular paintings. Just a little bit after he unleashed “Appetite for Veruca”, a re imagining of Robert Williams controversial “Appetite for Destruction” painting, he gives us a remix of Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks” and three from Mark Ryden: “Girl Eaten by Tree”, “Allegory of the Four Elements” & “Little Boy Blue”.
I would like to see more artists doing homages like these. There have been a few scandals recently, due to certain artists “copying” another’s work, I see no point. If you are short on ideas or want to try something new, make an homage to a past work of art. But I do feel it is important to make sure that like Dave has, you do the work justice.
