Larissa Goldston Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by David Rathman. Against a Crooked Sky includes sixteen watercolor and ink paintings and will be on view from May 14 through June 20, 2009. There will be a reception for the artist on May 14 from 6 to 8pm.

In this exhibition, Rathman revisits the culture and mythology of the Old West and spaghetti westerns produced in the 1960s and 1970s. Populated by familiar characters—sheriffs, frontiersmen, villains, and the women who love them—the work imparts a longing for a world of absolutes. A world where, as Rathman puts it, “bad guys get punished and dispatched, and resolution comes quick and hard.”

Intentionally cinematic, the painterly watercolors make reference to the way we see and experience images as we watch movies.  As in his past work, the images are culled from photographed film stills that are copied, manipulated, and reassembled to create amalgamated vignettes. Diverging from the earlier works, these western scenes are devoid of text and rely on the images to carry the narrative weight and moral implications. 

The exhibition also includes four ink and watercolor drawings made on Yupo, a 100% recycled synthetic paper.  Engulfed in barren landscapes, the derelict, anthropomorphic automobiles represented are obvious stand-ins for characters that have lived full lives and have stories to tell.  The bridge between the old and new work, these pieces incorporate text – commentary, internal dialogue and emotional utterances – that add to the drama and humor of the work. They reveal and acknowledge the influence of artists such as Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth.

Born and raised in rural Montana, David Rathman currently lives and works in Minneapolis, MN.  He has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions in New York and internationally, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art, NY, Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center, NY, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and The Walker Art Center, MN.  He has received numerous grants including the Mcknight Foundation Fellowship (2000, 1993), the Bush Foundation Visual Arts Fellowship (1992) and the Jerome Foundation Fellowship (1986, 1989).  His exhibitions have been reviewed in Time Out NY, ARTnews, Art In America, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Teme Celeste.  This is his first solo exhibition with the gallery.