James Varchmin Gallery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 1983

​

An exhibition of new paintings by Clar Monaco opens Friday, October 21, 1983 at James Varchmin Gallery

 

with a reception for the artist from 5:30 to 8 p.m. On view will be a number of paintings ranging in size from the monumental 8 x 9' canvas titled Drawing Circles to the more intimate-scale "psychological portraits" much like the earlier ones which appeared in major exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University Art Museum, Santa Barbara.

​

The style of these pictures--their vigorous brushwork, a-naturalistic color, and figural distortions--reveals Monaco's affinity with the Expressionist artists of the early 20th cen­tury, and provides him with the means to express his highly per­sonal, spiritually-oriented concerns. His palette has recently shifted to earthy tones of raw and burnt siennas, with accents of green, yellow, and red, in keeping with the almost primordial nature of his subject matter.

​

In this new body of work, Monaco continues his investiga­tion of psychological states and human responses to contemporary existence in his depictions of multi-figure groups engaged in symbolic activities. But the sinister powers and aggressive in­teractions explored in earlier works have now given way to more positive images of energy and cooperation among individuals-­both male and female--and of powerful determination and strength, embodied in an allegorical animal (The Goat) riding a flaming ball of energy through space.

​

Monaco received his MFA from the University of Chicago and has exhibited widely in Chicago, in the Midwest, and on the West Coast. His work has been acquired by private and pub­lic collections tnrougnout tne country, most recently by the Illinois State Museum, Springfield. 

 

The exhibition at JamesVarchmin Gallery continues through November 29, 1983. For photographs and further information, contact James Varchmin Gallery at 642-4266.

620 North Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60611 312/642 4266