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Harold Stevenson at Mitchell Algus
Art in America, March, 2005 by David Ebony
This show of 11 recent paintings by Harold Stevenson was full of youthful vitality. Titled "Rebirth: the Paintings of Christopher John," the exhibition featured large, sumptuous oils with hazy, dreamlike images of a young male model. Of Lebanese descent, the handsome, raven-haired youth is shown in various sensuous poses: in one close-up he is sleeping, in others he is nude on the beach, reclining or collecting seashells. One of the most striking canvases shows him fully clothed, pissing in a field. The mischievous tone and freshness of approach in many works belie Stevenson's 75 years and nearly five decades as an art-world fixture. Known for large-scale homoerotic images, the flamboyant, Oklahoma-born painter was an Andy Warhol superstar in the 1960s and claims to have had a homosexual affair with Jackson Pollock in the '50s.
To fully understand Stevenson's recent work it might be helpful to know that he and his model of the past several years are not lovers. The course of the show, however, reveals in almost episodic fashion a tumultuous and emotional relationship between the two that is ultimately passionate and romantic. For example, two large paintings in the front room, Christopher John in White Fard (2001), a tall vertical canvas (84 by 40 inches), and the 2003 double panel The Wall He Built Around Himself (76 by 49 1/2 inches), feature close-up portrait heads that convey psychological insight. Violent gashes scarring the surface of each canvas were made by the model, who burst into the artist's New York studio one night and, in a fit of rage, slashed all the images of himself he could find. Instead of discarding the paintings, Stevenson found the slashes engaging. Indeed, the "wounded" pictures evoke a certain raw intensity.
Early last year, the artist and model patched up their friendship and Stevenson embarked on a new series of idealized portraits titled "Christopher John Reborn," which filled the rear gallery. Outstanding among them, Christopher John Reborn #1 is a close-up of the model holding a small seashell resembling a conch. Painted in pastel hues, with a wispy, almost Redon-esque delicacy, the composition is highlighted by several similar shells floating in mid-air near John's head and hands. Christopher John Reborn: Montauk Landscape shows the fully clothed model standing to one side. A bright yellow stream of urine arcs from his body across the brilliant grassy meadow. Far from a smutty provocation, the painting is unexpectedly lyrical. Besides what could be a witty reference to Warhol's "piss paintings," the work communicates yet another facet of Stevenson's unabashed love for both his model and for the act of painting itself.
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COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
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