Posted by Eric Fredericksen on July 30, 1999 at 13:25:58:
"Hall of Justice"
Paintings by Brian Sendelbach
The Little Theatre
608-19th Ave E
329-2629
Opening party Wednesday, August 4, 6-8 pm
Closes September 5
The éminence grise behind the popular Stranger comic Smell of Steve, Inc. (home of such memorable characters as "Fonzie of the High Seas" and "Phil Collins") turns his attention to a different breed of pop culture icons. This month at the Little Theatre, Sendelbach presents a series of portraits of superheroes, those iconic figures that lurk deep in the mind of even the most high-minded cartoonist. Painting in a rich style reminiscent of naive art, Sendelbach retrieves primal connections with these figures from under a mountain of kitsch.
"I start off with the intention of making bad paintings," says Sendelbach, whose cartoons are models of clean lines and tidy composition. The paintings, on the other hand, are little Frankenstein's monsters, built in pieces with fragments of paper glued together to form the figures. Yellowed teeth and vicious stares mar heroes normally depicted as handsome Adonises (or is that Adoni?). Aquaman is urinating into the water. Superman looks like a 98-pound weakling with a nicotine habit. Captain America (in a painting seen on a recent cover of The Stranger) is a child's drawing of heroism.
He's not looking for the human in these icons (a current trend in superhero comics)—Sendelbach's figures are just as totemic as their models, but his totems inspire as much dread as reverence.
The opening night party, Wednesday, August 4, 6-8 pm, will feature snacks, wine, Brian Sendelbach, some cute babies, and a screening of some of the worst superhero cartoons ever made, starring Captain America.
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The Little Theatre is a repertory movie theater, performance space, and gallery run by the non-profit film production and presentation group the Northwest Film Forum.
Slides and jpegs available on request
For more information, contact Eric Fredericksen, 720-1381, ericf@drizzle.com (not for publication)
Next up at the Little Theatre is Field Guide, sculptures and drawings of North American rooftop TV antennae by Los Angeles artist Derek Stroup