Lot 67244: DANIEL BLAGG (American, b. 1951) Pegasus on Dallas

DANIEL BLAGG (American, b. 1951) Pegasus on Dallas Building Oil on canvas 80 x 60 inches (203.2 x 152.4 cm) Signed lower left: Daniel Blagg Fort Worth artist Dan Blagg is well known in the Texas arts community for his striking images of both rural and urban landscapes. At first glance, one may come to the conclusion that Blagg is a talented photo-realist in the vein of Richard Estes, whose formal method focuses on the tension between formal abstraction and a faithful rendering of every detail of the subject. However, upon further contemplation of Blagg's work, the viewer also discovers an intense sense of mood, psychological depth, and emotionally loaded subjects which are often more similar to the themes of Edward Hopper and Giorgio de Chirico. For example, vintage signs, a common subject in Blagg's work, stand alone as surreal portraits of modern industrial culture and symbols of the historical urban landscape. These paintings convey the modern urban experience-progress at the expense of beloved landmarks, isolation, nostalgia, and decay. In Pegasus on a Dallas Building, Blagg captures the historic Texaco Pegasus sign, an iconic symbol from the Dallas skyline. The triangle-shaped composition is dramatically cropped, and the sign at the top of the high-rise is painted from a perspective originating at street level. The architecture of the office building creates dynamic geometric shapes which culminate in the Pegasus sign. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the blue sky and the red sign create a dramatic contrast which also pulls the eye upward to the top to the composition. This work is not only visually stunning. It is also a compelling example of the artist's ability to evoke an intellectual and emotional response from both the chosen subject and the abstracted formal elements of the painting.