Author: Merrily Kerr

Bob Thompson’s 1965 painting ‘The Swing’ at 52 Walker resembles Jean-Honore Fragonard’s famous 18^th century rendering of a finely dressed young woman on a swing and her lover gazing up at her from below but radically shifts the focus and intent.  In Thompson’s characteristic style, the figures are monochromatic and nude, the eroticism of the female character emphasized by the outline of a breast and the complicity of the two men suggested by their common red color.  The man who controls the swing is no longer hidden by foliage, instead playing a clearer role in the flirtation going on between the other two characters. Likewise, Fragonard’s barely noticeable lake in the background turns into a waterfall, two pink putti are locked in a more ambiguous embrace and the swing’s rope more clearly and menacingly encircles the branches above.  In exhibitions of work from Thompson’s brief career (he died just shy of his 29^th birthday in 1966) at 52 Walker and at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, the artist delves into European art history, clarifying some elements of iconic works and making others ambiguous to provocative effect. (On view in Tribeca at 52 Walker through July 8^th and in Chelsea at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery through July 7^th).