Huston Ripley
October 8th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Pick a God. There are many here to choose from.
Huston Ripley’s beautiful exhibition at Adam Baumgold Gallery ends today. These obsessive drawings are made with ink on thin Japanese paper. The effect is almost that of a Mandelbrot Set, in that the closer you get the more you see (hence the inclusion of detail shots above).
Ripley’s drawings have a devotional spiritualism to them, they feel like the by-product of meditative acts of atonement. Their density recalls both Tibetan Buddhist mandalas and Christian gothic cathedral portal sculptures. There are distnct references being made: the snake, the virgin, the Christ-figure, rivers, the she-wolf; a collection of the icons of religious art have all been brought together. The effect isn’t so much to build a narrative of religious training as to assemble these forms into an overall patina of design, much as a Persian Rug would. His drawings are devotional, but what they are devotional to is left up to the viewer.
The artist’s draftsmanship is impressive, as is his attention to detail, patience and dedication. The density of the image combined with the lightness and simplicity of the materials is a beautiful combination.
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All artwork is copyright Huston Ripley. All images were borrowed from the Adam Baumgold Gallery website, which has additional information on the show.
