Aurelia (Her Secret Play)
“ (Clar) Monaco's paintings, present a complex web of interpersonal relationships, centered around the idea of the changing of powers and the casting of spells. The black cross, a recurrent symbol in Monaco’s works, embodies the malevolent force which underlies the characters' interactions. By subverting a traditional symbol of hope, Monaco's paintings question the stability of communal beliefs, faiths and desires.”
-- Nancy Lurie, Gallery Owner, 1982.
“Clar Monaco’s paintings have the feeling of Vampirella in Hell. They are gigantic works, most of them, that present several nude women involved in strange rituals. Gr4oups of three or four women seem to be engaged in perpetrating magically aggressive acts on their more submissive members or passing into trances. Usually one is wielding a black crucifix.”
Michael Bonesteel, critic
-- Art facts: three Expression of neo-expressionism
The Reader. November 5, 1982