Light and shadow

Last year, a group show at the 20th Street Art Gallery featured a couple of paintings by Dennis Stanford that were quite striking and memorable. One was an image of the side of an old building engulfed in sunlight. The stunning light read perfectly, while capturing the feel of the structure. So, it’s exciting to see a solo show of sorts of Stanford’s work at the same gallery, at 911 20th Street, on display throughout this month. Seeing many of Stanford’s paintings together gives one a better sense of his strengths. The light-play in the painting from last year’s effort was no fluke; Stanford is able to pull it off time and time again in his new work. Many of these pieces have an almost pattern-like brushstroke, which flattens the image, or super-thick areas of paint that distract from the seductive illusion—surprising to see from an artist who has his ability and control. Nonetheless, one can’t beat environmentally convincing paintings like these.