It’s taken me a year to figure out what I truly like about Saul Chernick’s work. I’ve seen some of these pieces (or their beginnings) in various places before and have always liked them for their technical skill. But what really fascinates me is the exuberance with which aspects of mortality and sexuality are created.
This goes beyond the subject matter (dancing skeletons or heraldic penises for instance.) The works somehow make drawing techniques from the Renaissance look fresh and exciting. The piece called “Innocence Spoiled” with two chubby cherubs wrestling in a cave is drawn with such verve that the darkness and violence of the piece is overwhelmed by the silliness of their distorted features. In “Smile”, a crest-like pop-inspired face beams out at the viewer with a scary set of teeth – as the review in the Times put it: ““Smile” is like the decorative end paper of an ancient tome, except that the grinning, bug-eyed, semi-abstract head in the center resembles that of a character from one of Kenny Scharf’s trippy, cartoonish paintings.”
The superlong panorama of Greenwood Cemetery is incredibly lively, with some many different lines adding to the sense of solidity and depth. Chernick lends his style to other media as well — on view here is a cast spray bottle with the curlicues in relief. View other works on his website like a cool animated GiF.
Saul Chernick
Borrowed from the Charnel House
Max Protetch Gallery - 511 West 22nd Street
June 10–July 30, 2010