Clayton Thomas work seems to have been painted eighty years ago, there is something familiar in his forms, yet he is altogether new. He takes the most common and timeless genres of painting; religious imagery, the still life, and the nude and redefines them. His subjects are deconstructed using flat panels of color and bold outlines, similar to the work of many German _expressionists, to be reassembled into a contemporary commentary on modern art. This transition from a fauvist inspired cubism to a more complex redefinition of the subject matter is done through subtle transitions in both palette and shape.
His nudes are cubist planes of arm and elbow, stiff jaw and broad nose and are restrained by a thick and unyielding outline. The shapes that make up their forms are heightened by flat fields of color. The palette, far from flat, is full of indigo and fuchsia evocative of Matisse, Derain or Jawlensky. Yet, one cannot ignore the sexuality of his forms and the twenty-first century swagger of their hips. These are not just cubist nudes or fauvist abstractions. They are modern, almost pornographic in their poses, as if they have been culled from a hustler centerfold spread. Within the points formed by wrist or breast are swirls of hips, circled shoulders, and moon like bellies. These women are sexual in a way that Picassos nudes could never claim to be.
As if in counterpoint, his still lifes and interiors are subtler in their form and coloring, although none the less vibrant for it. They remain bursting and angular, with a surprising round-edged petal or bold strip of molding to jar the viewer out of placidity. His religious imagery is bold in its emotional honesty and harbors a brutality unseen in his other works. His portraits of musicians seem inspired by a Chicago concert hall and the works of Beauford Delauney. Finally, his paintings of signage and close ups of contemporary figures are defined within the realm of pop-art and are grainy and bursting with color.
Overall Mr. Thomas work is truly unique. His ability to bend artistic genres by over leafing multiple familiar styles and a surprising palette produces something altogether contemporary and new in the world of art.
fauvism (matisse, derain)
fauvist inspired cubism
german _expressionism (mueller, jawlensky, pechstein, etc)
russian avant-grade
pop-art
