| Robert Beckmann "Belly Glass" Acrylic, oil, enamel, faux gold leaf 1990 UNLV Marjorie Barrick Museum Collection Courtesy the Artist Robert Beckmann in his studio at home. Photo PtD. | "Belly Glass" is guts and gambling, lemons and false gold. The belly of the machine is seen as the trusting of one's gut and this work relates seamlessly to pop art and desire trapped as digest pleasure. One can relate it to the painting process, the act of creating, false starts, the body, winners and losers. Ring a bell? The slot machine's stash, where guts and money wait to be released, said the artist at the opening, is known as the "belly glass." Victory, or waiting for it, comes with scatological churning. - Alisha Kerlin. |
Robert Beckmann’s art style wanders the desert with the focus of a scientist exploring the landscape, giving us a full range of mastery of abstract, portraiture, landscapes, sometimes as large-scale murals. It keeps him from being known as having a singular visual form, but juxtaposition makes is so Las Vegas. If Beckman kept warning us through his Nuclear Testing Series, or keep referring to the painting masters in “Vegas Vanitas,” he would have a higher profile. By trying new things the artist is saying there is too much to explore. “I’m curious,” says Beckmann. “And art is a filter for my searches.” - E.F.
Photo: PtD
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