Kent Williams: Amalgam: Paintings and Drawings 1992-2007 (ALLEN SPIEGEL F)

In his catalogue essay on Los Angeles-based figurative painter and graphic novelist Kent Williams, Edward Lucie-Smith states, "The main thing about Williams' production, whatever form it takes, is that one feels a passionate desire to paint at work, and, in addition to that, a passionate desire to enlarge not only his own imaginative experience, but the imaginative experience of anyone who takes the trouble to give his paintings more than a glance." Quoting freely from influences like Rodin, Schiele, Kahlo, Fischl and Nerdrum, Williams makes dramatic, sexually terse and expressionistic paintings that are deeply riveting, dark and erotic. Female nudes, self-portraits, adolescent boys, landscapes and other nocturnal fantasies all play a role. Bringing together works from 1992 to present, this is the most comprehensive collection of paintings and drawings by Williams to date.