{"id":416,"date":"2012-11-29T11:19:32","date_gmt":"2012-11-29T16:19:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=416"},"modified":"2012-11-29T21:25:57","modified_gmt":"2012-11-30T02:25:57","slug":"timothy-callaghan-life-slow-still","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/timothy-callaghan-life-slow-still\/","title":{"rendered":"Timothy Callaghan\u2014Life Slow Still"},"content":{"rendered":"

I recently paid my second visit to the William Busta Galler<\/a>y.\u00a0 Busta is one of those cafeteria-style spaces where several shows\u2014about 6 in this case\u2014run concurrently.\u00a0 The artists shown represent, no doubt, an attempt to cast the widest possible net.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, you won\u2019t find a Corot, a Philip Pearlstein<\/a>, or even a Robert Smith<\/a> there, but given its stated scope\u2014contemporary artists working in NE Ohio\u2014the artists are an eclectic group. \u00a0The quality, as might be guessed, covers a broad spectrum as well.<\/p>\n

The show that caught my eye during this visit\u2014Timothy Callaghan\u2019s Life Slow Still<\/a>\u2014was in an inner room.\u00a0 As with many cafeteria-style galleries, visitors have to meander through several shows before getting to one of interest.\u00a0 The conjunction of exhibits differing in style, goal, and quality can be disconcerting, as was the case here.<\/p>\n

I first caught sight of his paintings from another room and immediately became impatient to abandon the show I\u2019d been browsing.\u00a0 Callaghan\u2019s paintings are fetching when seen from afar.\u00a0 He has a strong sense of color and the harmonies created by broad, mostly unbroken color areas, are a delight to the eye.\u00a0 From a distance, his paintings reminded me of how Fairfield Porter<\/a> balanced seemingly haphazard (but oh-so-calculated) arrangements of unbroken areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Callaghan: North Shore Carpet Beaters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

(Porter was the Gatsby of American painting: the handsome preppie with his sweater casually thrown over his shoulder playing with a tennis racket and grinning grinning grinning.)<\/p>\n

Seen closer, the heavy influence of Pop artists\u2014especially Alex Katz<\/a>\u2014is apparent.\u00a0 Like Katz, Callaghan’s \u00a0focus is on giving economic expression to objects; trying to find an efficient method of saying something.\u00a0 Katz denudes his subject of everything extraneous until he transforms it into an icon or symbol.\u00a0 Callaghan\u2019s treatment isn\u2019t nearly as single-minded.\u00a0 His approach is much more casual, more Porter-like.\u00a0 He also retains a painterly concern for the mark or gesture, which Katz lacks entirely\u2014if he ever had it.<\/p>\n

The painterly mark or gesture is a primary concern.\u00a0 Many passages are successful short-hand characterizations of the object that work well in isolation and within the overall design.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, most of the paintings are marred by clumsy and confusing passages.\u00a0 Painterly areas are cheek-to-jowl with hard-edge passages. \u00a0Callaghan acquiesces to the postmodern, media-quoting space that\u2019s standard fare these days, but in a timid way.\u00a0 Unlike his mentor Katz who plunged into the postmodern space whole-hog, Callaghan only dips his toe into it.\u00a0 His paintings borrow heavily from artists who play with the real-virtual dichotomy, which is\u2014let\u2019s face it\u2014ancient history by now.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Callaghan: VFW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Callaghan\u2019s paintings are remarkable for being fetching when seen from afar but disappointing when viewed closely.<\/p>\n

The photos are mine but the works are copyright\u00a0Callaghan et al.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I recently paid my second visit to the William Busta Gallery.\u00a0 Busta is one of those cafeteria-style spaces where several shows\u2014about 6 in this case\u2014run concurrently.\u00a0 The artists shown represent, no doubt, an attempt to cast the widest possible net.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, you won\u2019t find a Corot, a Philip Pearlstein, or even a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5,76,46,1],"tags":[84,85,86,83,82],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artists","category-galleries","category-reviews","category-uncategorized","tag-alex-katz","tag-fairfield-porter","tag-postmodern","tag-timoth-callaghan","tag-william-busta-gallery"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":717,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2013\/01\/thomas-frontini-at-the-william-busta-gallery\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":0},"title":"Thomas Frontini at the William Busta Gallery","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"January 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes, the Frontini show really is at the Busta Gallery. \u00a0Frontini is not listed online among their stable, but I was there--I saw the show with my own eyes. \u00a0Apparently\u00a0Busta has given up on its online persona; their Flash-encrusted Web material is haphazard and their blog hasn't been updated since\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Frontini","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/frontini.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/frontini.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/frontini.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1460,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2013\/03\/jason-milburn-at-william-busta-gallery\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":1},"title":"Jason Milburn at William Busta Gallery","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 27, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Jason Milburn, who has maintained a\u00a0studio\u00a0in NE Ohio since graduating from the Cleveland Art Institute 10 years ago, is showing a passel of large drawings at the William Busta Gallery. The cartoon-inspired ink drawings are populated by\u00a0vaguely\u00a0familiar figures in\u00a0suburban\u00a0scenarios that are awash with anxiety and\u00a0menace--'High School Art Teacher in Hell,'\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"'Who Needs Coupons?' by Jason Milburn","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/coupons.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1925,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2013\/06\/review-virgie-ezelle-patton-at-william-busta-gallery\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":2},"title":"Review: Virgie Ezelle Patton at William Busta Gallery","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"June 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The works in Virgie Ezelle Patton's show at William Busta span the last two decades. That's a lot of time to cover in a typical exhibition, but not enough time for a retrospective, especially for an artist born in 1928. All works on view were done after the artist reached\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Patton 'Two Women'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/patton1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2710,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2013\/10\/quick-review-brinsley-tyrrell-at-busta-gallery\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":3},"title":"Quick review: Brinsley Tyrrell at Busta Gallery","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"October 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"At first sight, I was underwhelmed by Brinsley Tyrrell's show, Ohio Lands Forever, at Busta. The large-format pieces with their electric colors and ropey splatters struck me as gimmicky and shrill. Tyrrell's enamel on steel technique threatened to skid out of control--obsession with process has shipwrecked many artists. But after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Brinsley_Tyrrell.jpg?fit=400%2C302&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":976,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2013\/02\/julie-friedman-at-busta-gallery\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":4},"title":"Julie Friedman at Busta Gallery","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"February 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In her show,\u00a0Perennial\u00a0Shift,\u00a0at the\u00a0William Busta Gallery,\u00a0Julie Friedman exhibits a\u00a0print maker's\u00a0love of process. \u00a0Initially, the pieces (a useful generic term) reminded me of the\u00a0silhouettes you can have made at Coney Island or Cedar Point. \u00a0Like those silhouettes, these are cut-outs; most are black on white. \u00a0On closer inspection, they are the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Julie Friedman's \"Broken Wire\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/broken_wire.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/broken_wire.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/broken_wire.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4576,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/01\/a-visit-to-the-cleveland-museum-of-arts-asian-collection\/","url_meta":{"origin":416,"position":5},"title":"A visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Asian collection","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"January 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cleveland Museum of Art recently rotated its vast Asian collection, which I happily discovered during Friday's visit. After a Caesar salad in the Atrium cafeteria--'extra anchovies, please'--I started my weekly ramble in the galleries above the cafeteria where the Asian collection is housed. Major museums, like Cleveland, \u00a0rotate parts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art Museums"","block_context":{"text":"Art Museums","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/art-museum\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cleveland Museum of Art's New Atrium","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/IMG_0261.jpg?fit=552%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/IMG_0261.jpg?fit=552%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/IMG_0261.jpg?fit=552%2C395&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-6I","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}