Martin Gunsaullus
Images | Biography
MARTIN GUNSAULLUS
A Feather in the Web
New Paintings and Works on Paper
February 14 – March 14, 2009
Western Project is proud to present the first exhibition in twenty years by Los Angeles artist, Martin Gunsaullus. Comprised of new paintings on wood and paper, A Feather in the Web, addresses the paradox of human beings caught in the web of their own weaving; the mythologies we each create as our lives. Using images of figures with eyes closed, the artist invents metaphorical portraits to suggest moments of denial, resignation, submission or entrapment. Conversely, they also speak of silence, connection and transcendence. Gunsaullus is after the wide spectrum of human experience; from helplessness, to graceful inspiration or epiphany. Without grandiosity, his intimate and small pictures work similar territories as Francis Bacon, Leon Golub and Gabriel Orozco; all content oriented and expressively vibrant.
Using numerous mediums on wood and paper, Gunsaullus’ work is both graphic and painterly. Compounded by his virtuosic drawing skills, the images are familiar in historic references. He mixes traditional methods with narrative compositions into small epics. Not always easy tales, he opts for a brash palette to coerce the viewer; a trap laid.
Gunsaullus' art is ornery and sublime, caustic and liberating. His fascination with history, both personal and social is molded into ageless visual stories which point to the realm of consciousness and which is continually veiled and unveiled. Perhaps the choice is ours.
Untitled (April 2007), 2007
acrylic, ink on paper, 15 x 12 1/4 inches
Polarity, 2008
ink, acrylic on wood panel, 17 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches
Untitled (February 2008), 2008
acrylic, watercolor pencil on paper, watercolor on paper, 15 x 12 1/4 inches
A Feather in the Web,, 2008
ink, acrylic on wood panel, 23 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches