Against a hazy, apocalyptic landscape, two conjoined heads rise from a spindly stalk of a neck in this painting by Glenn Brown at Chelsea’s Gagosian Gallery, their downward facing gazes suggesting the demure demeanor of women meant to be looked at. The noir-romantic landscape and the women’s postures and youthful European features are recognizable from western art history. But self-consciously constructed in individual brushstrokes of multicolored paint, they forgo the illusion of reality. Positioned half in shadow, half in light, one with a halo, one without, Brown both withholds and illuminates their identities in a way that suggests constant morphing. (On view in Chelsea through Dec 23rd).
