The Axelle Fine Arts
Galerie in Soho is currently presenting a collection of works by Francois Anton
for an exhibition titled Le Voyageur
Immobile. For this show, Anton presents oil paintings that are humorous and
satirical and are inspired by the stories and characters featured in newspaper
comics where he juxtaposes the realities of adult life with the carefree spirit
of childhood.
The characters seen in
these works are middle-aged men bespectacled men very much resembling Anton,
and therefore are very likely to represent his persona. One of the funniest works
in the show titled Crazy Sheep illustrates
a meadow where a middle-aged man is playing a game of leap frog by jumping over
a sheep who appears to be laughing at the man. Another sheep can be seen far
behind them staring at them in shock. L’oeuf
ou la poule is a quirky, inquisitive, and amusing piece
depicting a group of six businessmen gathered behind a desk where a chicken is
standing in the center on a piece of fabric next to an egg.
 |
| "Crazy Sheep" by Francois Anton |
Three of the men in
the front row stare at the chicken very curiously as though pondering the
question What came first, the chicken or
the egg? The three men in the back row are looking away, very intensely
engaged in thought, and behind them is a series of writings and diagrams
perhaps illustrating the complex thoughts going on in their heads.
Anton offers several
paintings in this show that tell a story by being shown in sequential order.
These include Historie sans parole
depicting a man teaching his dog how to fetch, Le crac boum huuue! depicting a man playing with a jack-in-the-box
toy, and Rencontre du troisiemme type depicting
a man crossing paths with someone else driving an oddly shaped car.
Despite
the playful nature of his works, there remains an element of bleak
existentialism resembling the style of British painter, Francis Bacon. Anton’s works
are witty observations on innocence, the modern world, and what it means to
“grow up.”
At The Axelle Fine Arts Galerie, 472 West
Broadway, through Dec. 31. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.—6 p.m. There will
be a reception for the artist at the gallery Dec. 13 from 6—8 p.m.
