Thomas Allen, SW6543 (SOULFUL BLUE), 2015, Chromogenic Print, 9 x 12 in, Edition of 10
Artist Thomas Allen returns us to the childhood of our dreams, a place where the innocence of pop culture became a kind of pop art, where the bright, bold colors matched the characters they served in a world filled with allegory, fantasy, and myth. Can it be that it was all so simple then? In many ways it is, for art offers us the ability to return to the past with the benefit of hindsight. And in doing so, we can look and reflect upon the places where ideology and iconography intersect.
Inspired by View-Master and “pop-up” books as a child, Allen began recreating these three-dimensional experiences by using old books and pulp paperbacks as still life subjects for photographs he staged, bringing to life the vibrant relationship between a book’s cover and the words on the page. For his new exhibition, “Paint by Numbers”, now on view at Foley Gallery, NY, through January 24, 2016, Allen charts a new path, leaving behind his signature use of cutting from book illustrations in favor of exploring the two dimensional possibilities of chromogenic prints.
Thomas Allen, WGB14 (CLEAR BLUE SKY), 2015, Chromogenic Print, 12 x 9 in, Edition of 10
With “Paint By Numbers”, Allen brings us to a familiar realm, to the rainbow-colored delights of a hardware store’s paint selections. For this new series of 22works, this has chosen a vibrant array of swatches upon which he overlays a print of pop culture icons from Donald Trump to Divine, Prince to Sarah Palin, inviting us to consider the ubiquitous yet ephemeral nature of American culture that we have come to love and hate in equal part.
Like the names of the color swatches utilized to the utmost brilliance and wit, Allen reminds us that labels are nothing more than words added to create context, texture, and verve. Whether it’s an image of Endora and Samantha from “Bewitched” set upon a baby blue marketed as “Magical” or an old folding camera set against a faded earth tone sold as “Fossil”, Allen’s work reminds us how easily the pleasures of yesterday can become the detritus of life, allowing us to add a new layer of meaning to the original.
Thomas Allen, 19-4M (GOLDEN TICKET), 2015, Chromogenic Print, 12 x 9 in, Edition of 10
“Golden Ticket”, for example, features an image of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, all eyes and bowtie, top hat and huckster sincerity, revealing himself between swatches of “Afternoon Siesta” and “Moroccan Gold”, beautifully conveying that feeling of victory when, after much decision, you finally select the color swatch to paint the bedroom. So much win in a freshly painted home, with the spirit of Wonka guiding your choice.
And it is in this way that “Paint By Numbers” captures the imagination and takes hold, inviting our own private interpretations of the work, evoking a distinctive mix of emotions grounded in a longing for the past combined with aspirations for the future, creating an intense, nostalgic sense of both pleasure and loss. With “Paint By Numbers”, Allen gives us a new way of looking at how we consume, and invites us to consider why.
“Paint by Numbers” is now on view at Foley Gallery, NY, through January 24th, 2016.
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
