Installation view. 2014
The Roar #6. 2014
Oil on canvas
36 ¼ x 27 ¼”
(StH14 01)
Attack of the Centaur. 1992
Oil on panel
40 5/8 x 29 5/8”
(StH14 02)
Miss Thing. 2014
Oil on canvas mounted on wood panel
93 ½ x 45”
(StH14 03)
Tightwad. 2014
Oil on canvas mounted on wood panel
47 ½ x 46"
(StH14 04)
For a Group Show. 2001
Gesso on canvas
65 x 87”
(StH14 05)
The Roar #7. 2014
Oil on canvas
36 x 27 1/4”
(StH14 06)
Snuggled Snuggle. 1999
Acrylic polymer on canvas, 5 separate panels mounted on standing wood supports
Overall, as installed: 10 ft, 7 1/2 in. x 21 ft, 8 in. x 10 ft, 8 in.
(StH14 07)
Installation view. 2014
The Roar #5. 2014
Oil on canvas
36 x 27 1/8””
(StH14 08)
Getting Rider Right. 1995
Oil on canvas
59 1/8 x 87 5/8”
(StH14 09)
What food does your favorite star remind you of? 1995
Oil on canvas
63 x 93 1/4”
(StH14 10)
The Death of Actaeon. 1992
Oil on panel
41 1/8 x 39 3/8”
(StH14 11)
The Roar #4. 2014
Oil on canvas
36 ¼ x 27 3/8”
(StH14 12)
Fallen Warrior. 1992
Oil on panel
37 x 49 1/8”
(StH14 13)
On the surface, the subject matter of Steve Hurd’s paintings – rainbows, shoes, teenage confessions & heartthrobs, consumer product logos, aluminum foil and of course cats – dazzle. Challenging the very images they depict, the source materials are not only lushly painted but also infused with visual manipulation & the illusion of depth, ultimately creating new, strange, seductive & humorous ways to see the once familiar.
Hurd also presents never before exhibited early paintings based on collages he created, which in turn reference Greek friezes. The paintings are done so skillfully that they become successful trompe l'oeil – they look deceptively like the collages that they are paintings of.
Saturated with sly references, witty sarcasms & bold ironies, Hurd’s latest exhibition of recent and early paintings at Rosamund Felsen Gallery, visually critique and methodically explore the culture of images, along with the very process of painting itself.
