Works by prolific Buffalo writer, printmaker, painter and critic, Richard Huntington will be part of an upcoming exhibit titled RE-MIXico. The opening will be held at Casa de Arte on May 23, 2014 from 6 to 10 pm and runs through June 22.
Huntington was not only an critic for the Courier Express, his expertise also delved into the world of theater where he ultimately became an art and then theater critic at the Buffalo News (1985-2007). Along the way the artist also managed to head up the visual arts department at Artpark for a time. His own personal works spread far and wide, and have been featured in myriad international shows, along with being in the collection of the Albright-Knox.
Today his works are pertinent as ever, showcasing a talent that is wildly diverse and captivating. From imagery that appears to play off of the works of legendary artists, to his own provocative and timely messages, wrapped in thought provoking pop-art meets pin-up canvases, sprinkled with postmodern mixed media and even religious subject matter.
Regarding the lead image in this post, Huntington writes, “I Was A Teenybopper for Diego Rivera”, archival pigment print, 2014, Huntington writes “An earlier print of mine, comically titled I Was A Teenybopper for the CIA, used a pulp fiction dancing teen engulfed by an aggressive frame of abstract shapes. I used this image in combination with a serious Rivera lithograph that featured a frame of cursive script and a hand holding a scalpel. The lettering and the abstract shapes combine to make a fresh and highly complex design (in the process making the script illegible), while the teenybopper herself still holds forth in all her glory at the composition’s center.”
Continuing on with the inset image, Huntington continues, “Mexican Menu with Diego Rivera Volcano”: Archival Pigment Print, 2014. Huntington Writes “I did an acrylic painting in 2012 using a menu from a San Miguel de Allende restaurant. In this print I have superimposed the painting—modified for the purpose—over a watercolor painting by Diego Rivera. The result was a merging –and obscuring–of two styles of painting in which elements from each source act in unison to form an entirely new composition with a mood divergent from either of the originals.”