Chris Martin

Chris Martin Synopsis

Chris Martin's paintings are investigations in color, form and texture, ranging from bold and graphic to gestural and expressionistic. He is deeply engaged with the history of abstraction, and many of his own paintings incorporate homages to artistic influences. Reviewing the works collected in this concise exhibition catalogue, The New York Times' Roberta Smith wrote, "It makes sense that Mr. Martin had his first solo show in 1988. Although he rightfully counts the painters Alfred Jensen and Forrest Bess among his inspirations, his style might be called 80s mongrel; a mélange of outtakes from Julian Schnabel, Keith Haring, Elizabeth Murray and Sigmar Polke. But he takes possession of all this by infusing it with his own sense of funky materiality, quasi-psychedelic color and hallucinatory light. Mainly he knows how to make a surface come to life with a fuss so minimal that it seems like showing off."