By Cathy Breslaw
Jason Godeke
Jason Godeke
“Descendants”
R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
Exhibition opens Saturday, January 11 and closes February 21st
Jason Godeke is an accomplished classical oil painter who uses the backdrop of still life and landscapes to play out theatrical narratives that include toy-like figurines that appear to be part human, and part machine.Though beautifully painted flowers, fruit and cloud filled landscapes create the atmosphere of the works, there is the sense of foreboding – and the figures which appear to be mythological and symbolic, provide a glimpse into Godeke’s personal journey.
“Contemplating My Inert Psyche”, his largest painting in the show, is of two men - one who is a human, dressed figure and the other a copy of the man, naked, who appears to be made of rock and metal. The two who are facing each other, with symbolically placed oversized fruit between them, are set against a warm-toned bucolic landscape with dramatic lighting applied to the figures.
Titles of the paintings like “Passing the Burden”, “Adrift”, “Wandering Companions”, “Setting Forth Alone”, and “Torpor” all seem to provide clues to the themes of his work. His use of a combination of realism and surrealism serve to explore the personal challenges and complexities of being human in our contemporary world.
“Contemplating My Inert Psyche”, his largest painting in the show, is of two men - one who is a human, dressed figure and the other a copy of the man, naked, who appears to be made of rock and metal. The two who are facing each other, with symbolically placed oversized fruit between them, are set against a warm-toned bucolic landscape with dramatic lighting applied to the figures.
Titles of the paintings like “Passing the Burden”, “Adrift”, “Wandering Companions”, “Setting Forth Alone”, and “Torpor” all seem to provide clues to the themes of his work. His use of a combination of realism and surrealism serve to explore the personal challenges and complexities of being human in our contemporary world.
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| Contemplating My Inert Psyche oil on canvas 70" x 78" |
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| Windfall oil on canvas 22" x 24" |
Review by Cathy Breslaw, www.artfullifebycathy.blogspot.com, www.cathybreslaw.com
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