Duke Windsor's Men @ Work: Blood, Sweat, & Fears

Duke Windsor's Men @ Work: Blood, Sweat, & Fears opens on Fri. July 5 at 5 pm.  Show until July 31at Sophie¹s Gallery (2825 Dewey Road, Gallery 101, SD 92106) This contemporary figurative series depicts these men and women construction worker, road crews, and the soldier in battle dress under less than favorable conditions. More info: Wendy Morris 619.578.2207

I am a big fan of the work of Duke Windsor. I admired his street scenes and I appreciated the new direction he was making with his abstract works. That is why I am so pleased to see that the best work in this current show is a combination of both styles. Windsor has always been a master of composition that is one of his strength. In the larger work Men@Work XXVI Portrait he shows his ability to portray a human face. Unfortunately in the smaller works the faces betray him and the images with obscure faces let the composition shine. But the star of the show is Patchwork showing a worker but from above working on road repair with what looks like asphalt, but that asphalt is a textured swath of paint that stick proud of the surface. This technique is obviously one he mastered when working abstractly. I would have liked to have seen more of this combination, but more importantly, more work where he stretches himself to new heights.  

Patchwork

Men@Work XXVI Portrait

Slow down, Big Guy