Mel McCuddin: The Art of Darkness
January 29, 2016 - by Doug Clark
Inside a downtown gallery maybe two decades ago – that’s where I first got McCuddined.
I recall strolling through the vast array of art when one canvas stopped me cold. It contained the disturbing image of a semi-formed man on his back.
Oh, yeah. He had a fez on his head.
I stood transfixed, posing mental questions about what I was seeing, like …
Who pushed the Shriner onto the grass? How did his fez stay on?
Muted bruised colors added to the mental mystery, giving the subject a dreamy, back-lit look.
Great art is supposed to prod and provoke. Being thoroughly weirded-out is some powerful voodoo, too.
Admittedly I’m working from the haze of memory here, but I recall asking a gallery worker about who was behind this Twilight Zone-worthy scene called “Fallen Farsi.”
“That’s a Mel McCuddin,” I was told.
Link to the full story HERE
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