Thursday, April 13, 2023

Sean Lander at Petzel


(link)

Look how the painter hath degraded himself. The banal subject, of the artist groveling to dirty populism. Warhol painted soup, but he would never have painted these. This is below commodities, this is midwestern, this is flyover content. The joke surely. 
"If Landers plays obsessively on the constant alternation between folie de grandeur and writhing in the gutter, he’s always playing to his audience, pandering a bit, begging for love even as he demonstrates—insists, well-nigh demands—that he’s a no-good loser fuck-head." - Rimanelli, Artforum
But it's a play. The dogs aren't even well painted. From afar sure, but up close the whole thing loses luster. If you're going to make the joke, commit to the joke. Eat the whole thing.