Tal R

TAL R

POP GOES THE EASEL

Tal R creates painterly narratives that mix inspiration from pop culture and art history in multicoloured pictures.
 

Umuligt notat, 1999

Description
An assortment of domestic objects of various shapes and colours are placed on a brown base with a mottled white wall as background. The objects include two large loudspeakers, a number of small lights, a red floor lamp, a stereo and several vases.

The white wall is interrupted by a small window with curtains and a lamp and is also marred by a series of conspicuous cracks and holes that expose the brickwork underneath. The effect is chaotic: the garish and crudely applied colours, the motley pile of objects and little accidents such as the knocked-over bottle placed on the speaker in the left-hand side.

About the work
The picture is painted in a fierce and eye-catching manner; the colours vibrant and applied in big strokes, giving the work a deliberately childish and chaotic quality. The conspicuous expanses of colour render the painting flat and without illusionistic depth which adds to the naïve impression. The crude brushstrokes and the simple, large objects result in a mixture between a child's drawing and an expressive painting that seeks a violent and extroverted expression. 

The outcome is a painting that is akin to children's spontaneous and energetic play. The naïve expression of the depicted objects is a playful addition to the solemn and adult medium that oil painting otherwise is considered.
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Tal R's art in general
ARKEN's Collection contains a number of Tal R paintings from the late 1990s as well as a large black wall filled with drawings and photocopies. His paintings from this period are often based on the artist's day-to-day life, telling personal stories from it. The paintings are unconventional and spontaneous and brimming with vibrant energy and association upon association. 
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Literature
"Arcade:Tal R" (Poul Erik Tøjner), Bawag Foundation, Wien, 2003
"Tal R: Live at Club Sombi" (Bruno Brunnet), Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin, 2001
"Dinglebær: Tal R" (Mika Hannula), Galerie Mikael Andersen, København, 2000
"Everybody Please Go Home" (Tal R), Space Poetry, København, 1997