y showcasing the concepts of excess, indulgence and time through traditional painting methods, Dan Marrone is hoping to bring relevancy back to the art form.
"I am using a fairly traditional set of criteria — visual forms, what colors work together, what shapes work together," he said.
His artwork is currently on display at the Saranac Lake Library in an exhibit titled "Chronometer Series 2009/2010."
Each painting in the series is acrylic on canvas and was done alla prima, meaning the piece was started and completed in a single session — with Marrone spending sometimes only 15 minutes but sometimes as many as 15 hours on a single painting.
"I'm trying to be confusing, trying to be traditional and uphold high aesthetic standards, but I am trying to do that all in about 15 minutes for some of these," he said. "I'm trying to bring across my best work but at the same time, these are very nihilistic because I start and finish them all at once."
MOMENT IN TIME
For Marrone, a Herkimer native who grew up in Saranac Lake, this group of paintings represents an exploration of several concepts that piqued his interest when studying art history.
"One could assume I am trying to create visceral objects of indulgence, excess and exuberance using the criteria of visual craftsmanship and significant form," he says, harkening to the "vanitas" paintings of the Baroque Era in Northern Europe. "I am also trying to sneak into these works suggestions concerning the nature and reality of indulgence and excess."
And, because the tradition of painting is a historical progression, Marrone said, time is also a relevant subject matter for the medium.
"These ideas were fascinating to me, so it only seemed appropriate that I attempt to freeze a real moment in time. This, of course, defies the nature of time, which can never be stopped."
By forcing himself to complete each painting in one sitting — no matter the duration — he gives his artwork an additional layer of authenticity.
"Whatever happened on a particular day was the only thing that made that painting different than the rest of the pieces in the series."
CONTEXT VITAL
Strongly influenced by the New York School of painters who flourished in the 1950s and '60s, primarily Mark Rothko, Marrone's exhibit is the product of not only his desire to create meaningful work, but also of his hope to reverse some of the recent trends in painting that he believes marginalize the art form.
In the 1970s, artists and critics alike began to view painting as an irrelevant art form, he says.
"They felt that paintings weren't effective vehicles for important ideas," he said. "They felt they were objects to be looked at, which makes sense. If you look at the traditional old painters, even since the Renaissance, it's always been thought of as something for the elite."
In the 1980s, Marrone said, the lack of critical praise for painting as an art form allowed a small number of painters to make fortunes on what he considers poor work.
"I can make paintings all day long, but it doesn't matter if they are about nothing," he says. "Simple objects with some visual arrangement — to me, that is not relevant. The painting has to make you see something real or else it's a failure. Any painting we remember in history is about something. It has to have some kind of context about what was happening then."
RETURN HOME
After high-school graduation in 1996, Marrone was soon unhappily working small jobs in the Tri-Lakes region.
A bass player who studied music throughout high school, he was interested in pursuing a career in music. But after meeting up with some people who were drawing as a pastime, Marrone found an interest in art and enrolled at Daemen College in Buffalo.
Disinterested in the city and the social scene at Daemen, Marrone used his time to grow as an artist.
"I never left campus for four years," he says. "I never left that studio. I painted like a madman."
In 2003, Marrone returned to Saranac Lake and since then has been working, painting and playing bass — with heavy metal band Dead Man's Hand.
The artist, a 12-year employee of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said he is not concerned with making money through his artwork, but rather in exercising self expression — the same reward he reaped from playing music as a young man.
"Most of the pieces I do are not necessarily marketable around here," he said, adding that he hopes to someday break into a more contemporary art scene. "To be marketable, I would have to be someone else. And I'm not going to do that. I would rather do the work I feel is important and not give in to pain and pleasure."
Marrone's work will be on display at the library through Sept. 9. Several of his pieces are also showcased in The Fringe gallery on Main Street in Saranac Lake.
ShowBiz Minute: Houston, Grammys, BAFTAs
'The Artist' Triumphs at the BAFTAs
Stars Share Heartfelt Whitney Houston Memories
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Fans 'Speechless' Over Houston's Death
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Latest Jason Wu Collection Shows Chinese Roots
ShowBiz Minute: Madonna, Beresford-Redman, Pawsc
Stars Show Support at AMFAR Charity Gala
BCBG Kicks Off NY Fashion Week
The Muppets Are Oscars Bound!
ShowBiz Minute: House, Perry/Brand, Grammys
Hearts Are Pumping for the Ladies in Red
Androgynous Model Walks Runway As Man and Woman
ShowBiz Minute: Super Bowl, Taylor, Adele
Dench: 'I'm Not Going to Retire.'
