L.A. Reader, August 23, 1985, by Orville O. Clarke, jr
Bruce Dean’s new work on display
through Saturday at Karl Bornstein
Gallery in Santa Monica is seductive.
The longer you examine the subtle textures
and explore the gradations of colors,
the more becomes visible.
Twp paper studies are placed in the
gallery entrance. With colors broken
into blocks, these sketches allow easy
access and understanding of the artist’s
format. The studies serve as introductions
to the nine larger works in the main
gallery.
The large mixed-media works, all exploring
the same theme, are impressive in their
continuity and dominance of purples
and grays. These hues, so closely related,
are layered in a myriad of tonal variations
that seem to make the room vibrate.
(Rothko’s handling of color comes
immediately to mind.) Each work builds
on the basis of a fan with spokes beginning
in the lower right area and reaching
up through a lighter layer into the
darkest purples. The spokes are accentuated
by layered collage elements, making
a deep space, which gives the appearance
of lines. The light area of grays and
purples flowing from right to left,
along with the curved purple elements
create a feeling of motion much like
the Futurist’s explorations,
inspired by continuous photographs
of man in motion.
Aerois and Louis, We Hardly Knew You
are typical of Dean’s blend of
layered colors over geometric elements.
With each of his works a variation
of the next, the gallery becomes a
sea of color continually in motion.
The overall mood is one of tranquility
and elegance, something of a rarity
these days. -Orville
O. Clarke, jr.