Go figure

There are a lot of traditional painters in the Sacramento area. Most, however, are landscape painters or, occasionally, still-life painters. It’s rare that you’ll find a figurative artist who doesn’t succumb to the desire to lean more toward the abstract. One painter, Alan Panattoni, showing through this weekend at the Phoenix Gallery, is one who not only stays the course of representational art but also steers toward an almost completely dead style: genre painting. This outmoded approach was popular throughout the world before photography because it was a way to illustrate people doing what they do in their daily lives. Really good genre painting accurately captures the mood and spirit of people and brings them to life. Panattoni works well in this style by incorporating light as in good impressionist painting. Even though Panattoni seems a little too rooted in his influences and doesn’t paint a more contemporary environment, it’s nice to see a figure in sunlight well-represented. The gallery is at 1901 Capitol Avenue; call (916) 447-1632 for information.