Lot 67013: Redrock

DONRAY (American, b. 1945) Redrock, 2008 Acrylic on linen 37 x 45 inches (94.0 x 114.3 cm) Signed and dated lower left: Ray '08 EXHIBITED: Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas, "Donray: A Cross-Section", March 29 - May 4, 2008. LITERATURE: D. Kuspit, R. Bass, D. Luytens, Donray: A Cross-Section, Reprint of essays from previous catalogues for exhibition catalogue, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas, 2008, n.p. Born in Houston and recently returned to Texas from New York, Donray has had numerous solo exhibitions, including Klara Kohl Gallery in New York (1998), So Hyun Gallery in New York, and The Rivington Gallery in London (1999 and 2006). According to New York art critic Donald G. Kuspit, "There is a verve, an energy, a dynamic surging gesture, violent movement, an overall vividness and vitality - that places Donray's paintings among the most interesting of what might be called post-modern expressionist painting." Furthermore, British art critic Edward Lucie-Smith has called it "figurative, abstract and American. The paintings demonstrate an inverted approach; gentle and focused at the same time being super-macho and withdrawn." In 2008, Redrock was included in the exhibition and catalog titled "Donray: A Cross Section" at The Arlington Museum Art. In this work Donray has continued what Dr. Ruth Bass calls, "his exploration of color and movement as a key to expressing human emotion." The luminosity and intense colors glow from underneath like a Rothko because Donray has used a unique acrylic collage technique. Redrock has a powerful sense of motion that contrasts the sedimentary nature of the subject. In addition to the movement that can be seen in the sky and flora, Donray has managed to show the dynamic nature of the rock itself. The cracks in the living rock along with the boulders and pebbles in the foreground reveal that everything is in motion-even the things we think of as timeless and unchanging. Ultimately, this exploration of the nature of the cosmos and spirituality is the subject of Donray's work. He has written, "I feel that reality is an illusion. The actual physical presence of a thing, creature, person and even the land is fleeting and unstable. I am concerned with essence in my art - the essence of an animal, a human being, the land..."