Ab/Graff

A first look at the canvases of Howard Sherman and we immediately think of Graffiti. His heady mixture of brash strokes, muscular paint-handling and crass titles, sucks us in and then spits us out laughing. Knowing that he was a cartoonist adds some sort of equilibrium to this mix.

I've long suggested that Ab/Ex (abstract expressionism) needs paring down to better identify the many disparate oeuvres within it's shadow; names that would more precisely steer our minds in the right direction. Ab/Graff might also end up being a huge umbrella type label, but it certainly gives a better clue as to the content we'll be experiencing.

The top image is from his Website where you can see many more images of his work from "06 through 2009.
A great review in Art Lies gives us more information on the cartooning aspect in his career.



You'll enjoy the candid studio visit, video above, from chron.com; it really helps to see these large canvases in context.

He's also represented by the McMurtrey Gallery.

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