Tim Anderson, Studio Visit, 1224 W. Grand
Upon entering Tim Anderson's studio, one can instantly imagine the process involved in the conception of his paintings. The long wall on the left houses Anderson's old record collection, his collection of brushes, oil paints and other traditional painting materials. The upper area is mostly covered with small drawings & paintings and what appear to be old family photographs and found portraits bought in bulk from the flea market. On the opposite wall, on either side of the couch, are bookcases stocked with books on travel, traditional furniture design and master painters. Indeed, it quickly becomes obvious that Anderson's fascination with portraiture is an extension of his preoccupation with the implications of traditional cultural norms in contemporary painting.
When asked about what characteristics he looks for in the models for his paintings Anderson simply responds, " I look for people who are receptive, who take me to another place." His current focus the "Yellow Portraits," undoubtedly embody this sentiment. "AT1194 Santa Gemma," one of a few portraits of Saints in the series, portrays a woman in modest clothes and a demure demeanor against a lemon yellow background. The portrait, done in oil and graphite, conveys a sense of nostalgic wonder. "Saint Gemma's" face, filling much of the canvas demands to be seen directly in the eyes, yet her gaze is neither piercing nor empty but rather, it emanates a sense of wisdom, a knowledge gathered from experiences of a distant past and place that will remain forever unknown to us.
Despite painting subjects cemented in the past "Saint Gemma," like the rest of the portraits in the series, becomes a formal study of contrasts. Although the portrait is done in the traditional oil and graphite mediums the choice of colors thrusts the painting into a contemporary platform. The simple, gestural, black markings of the portrait contrasts with the acid lemon-yellow background. The artificiality of the yellow pigment reinforces the timelessness of the portraits and paradoxically serves as a method of re-contextualization. It puts into question the place of figurative imagery in today's art world, by alienating the subject and the mark making from a contextual background and placing them in a desolate pool of synthetic yellow paint.
The most successful work on display however, is Anderson’s small abstract paintings. The roughly twelve to fifteen paintings where grouped together above Anderson’s scooters in a corner of the kitchen that is off view from the main sitting area. They almost seem to be hidden, certainly they are segregated from the figurative work littering the rest of the studio but once the viewer happens to walk upon them it is difficult to resist the allure of the paint lines running across the paper. Anderson’ spoke about several artists that have influenced his work mentioning everyone form the Flemish master painters, to Joseph Beuys, to Chuck Close. In these abstract paintings however, the influence of another artist that he mentioned, Willem De Kooning, becomes markedly apparent. Like De Kooning’s paintings, Anderson’s pieces, (completed as a series of works on paper named “La Comedia Dell’arte”), convey a sense of fluidity and loose gestural movements uninhibited by the restrictions of traditional painting conventions. Even, the paintings that seem to vaguely reference elements of the figure feel light and relaxed. In fact, Anderson’s unrestricted mark making style is what links this abstract work to the portraits. Although, the portraits are traditional formal studies, the unfinished sketch-like quality of the marks prevents the paintings from becoming fully engulfed by tradition.
