QCA Art: Rob Bondgren’s Naughty Boys and Better Days Ahead
Hot damn! Is it weird that we find these paintings of men hotter than actual men? That’s a high compliment to the art of Chicago-based watercolor painter Rob Bondgren who will showcase his works from the series entitled Better Days Ahead this Saturday. His collection includes the vivid, intensely erotic, and slightly menacing works he created from 2005 to 2007, during the second half of the Iraq Invasion. On his site, Bondgren spoke about his own work:
The work in this series was first and foremost a reaction to my overwhelming disgust and fatigue with war, politics, terrorism and fear mongering, and the most unfortunate politicization of sexuality. I began this series because I selfishly wanted to have fun painting people having fun. Bottom line-I wanted to escape. This work explores themes of fantasy and desire and borrows imagery from a number of sources including, personal photographs, advertising and pornography. I am interested in what is considered beautiful and desirable, how this is conveyed through a variety of sources, and how I respond as a consumer. I realized early on that there is a fine line between taking the bait and avoiding the trap and I have constantly questioned whether or not I am just perpetuating stereotypical fantasies or if I am presenting something more subtly honest. While most of my work has at least some sexual undercurrents, this work moves beyond suggestive. These works pay homage to some of my gay art heros like Paul Cadmus, David Hockney, and Charles Demuth and Touko Laaksonen (Tom of Finland).
You can read a review of the artist’s work, after the jump!
From the show, Made Flesh as Reviewed in Newcity (Vol. 23, No. 1051, p.19, August 14, 2008) by Marla Seidell:
Through a series of paintings of strapping young men Rob Bondgren reveals a fixation with the male body. In “Misadventures in Candyland, 1, 2 and 3,” various stages of lusty hookups are shown. Men’s bodies are displayed in all their glory, bulging below and at different stages of undress. Throughout, there’s a juxtaposition of the happy-go-lucky alongside the insidious in the vibrant, candy-colored portraits of oversexed males. “Anderson’s Pool Party 2007” is perhaps the most vivid. Here we see various men in and around the pool, either getting it on or wearing a “come hither” look. All of Bondgren’s men are distinctly American, with handsome, chiseled faces and taught, muscular bodies. Bondgren entices us through his gorgeous depiction of men as sex gods and, at same time, shows us the dark underside of worshiping the body as an object. The most thought-provoking work is “Boy Was I Drunk.” Here four men pose next to what looks like the outline of a bright orange Humvee. There is a clear military connection, evident by the sailor hat, hint of camouflage and dog tags. Three of the men look smugly satisfied while the fourth looks away in despair. Although it’s vague, it’s clear that Bondgren is forcing us to think of sex as a symbol for the abuse of power, not unlike war. These paintings are so entertaining and seductive it’s hard to tear your eyes away. And that’s precisely the artist’s intent–to illustrate just how much of body addicts we are.
