Works from 2000
In this series entitled "Behemoth," Donnabelle Casis explores the notion of the peculiar, eccentric and absurd and their relationship to humor, sexuality and the ordinary through figurative-abstraction painting. Drawing inspiration from the offbeat colors of men's ties to the racy fashions of Hollywood glitterati, Casis challenges good and bad color sensibilities as well as blurring the line between abstraction and figuration.
Casis' paintings are studies in contrast; her imagery alternatively references both abject imagery and erotica. An extraordinarily adept painter, Casis moves paint like an Abstract Expressionist, creating context that evokes a sense of displacement as if looking through a distorted mirror. Expressive line gestures, like those in children's coloring books, activate tensions between form and ground. When viewing her work we find that, even as we gawk at the scene, we are being seduced by the vibrancy of her palette and the deftness of her craft. In one moment she entices the viewer with luscious use of texture, form and color. In the next, she repels with abject representation. The title "Behemoth" references the scale and power of the work.
Casis' paintings are studies in contrast; her imagery alternatively references both abject imagery and erotica. An extraordinarily adept painter, Casis moves paint like an Abstract Expressionist, creating context that evokes a sense of displacement as if looking through a distorted mirror. Expressive line gestures, like those in children's coloring books, activate tensions between form and ground. When viewing her work we find that, even as we gawk at the scene, we are being seduced by the vibrancy of her palette and the deftness of her craft. In one moment she entices the viewer with luscious use of texture, form and color. In the next, she repels with abject representation. The title "Behemoth" references the scale and power of the work.
