Red Six

Mangum Stalin

Exit Woodblock

Jason Urban, an artist originally hailing from Iowa and now based out of (I think) Chicago, works in a few different veins but his “dot matrix” paintings, wood blocks and prints are extremely well executed and really look great. While the technique and overall visual effect is really impressive, its a bit disappointing upon spending a little while looking at the work to see that it recreates the moments of my 80s adolescence spent (wasted?) watching cable. Scenes from Star Wars, Rambo, Flash Gordon and the like seem to be the main focus of the work. I have a soft spot for General Zod too but something here isnt clicking for me.

There are some two way prints, one of Magnum / Stalin (which either shows a mustached 80s tv star or a mustached murderous dictator depending on how you look) and another featuring Schwarzenegger, which are also exceedingly well executed but come off a bit as pop culture punchlines. Maybe its just me. The oldest painting in the portfolio, “Blue Superman” almost cojures up something resembling proper nostalgia for me while also channeling lichtenstein’s dots.

Link