Death and Desire: Paintings by John Slaby

Flowers losing their petals, a man overcome with the fever of desire, a woman in a sensual pose menstruating:  these are some of the works that make up John Slaby’s latest exhibition at Archway Gallery, Death and Desire. Opening Reception Saturday, December 5. On view through January 7, 2016.

In this show, Slaby explores aging and desire through still lifes and figures. Here, the flower becomes metaphor for the process of senescence and the waning of sexual vitality. The subtle composition of The Sign (oil on canvas, 48”x60”), its large size and detailed rendering of the reflective glass adds to the impact of this powerful piece. We need not see what lies above to know what is happening here and what is to come.

Similarly, we know what is soon to happen in Doctor’s Report (pictured, oil on canvas, 60”x40”) where a bouquet rests in a cracked vase where the life sustaining water has drained away.

More controversial is Stonehenge (oil on canvas, 30”x60”) which depicts what appears to be an archetypal reclining female nude, but upon closer examination she is seen to be menstruating. This provocative work confronts the viewer with the cultural taboo of the female cycle and the paradox between the repulsion associated with menstrual blood and its corresponding link to the essence of youth and fertility.

Along similar lines, The Fever (oil on canvas, 30”x50”) shows a nude young man, his arm over his face in a sign of exhaustion, lying beneath pornographic images positioned over his head. We know what is on his mind and the source of his fever.

Though Slaby normally paints on more modest sized canvases, for this show he has put together a collection of the largest canvases he has ever produced.

His monumental Homage to Mishima (oil on canvas, 40”x96”) may be the largest painting ever displayed at Archway Gallery. Influenced by Mishima’s novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, the work shows a female floating over a lake at dusk. Though it references the birth of Venus genre, this piece is set apart by the reaction of the male figure in the lower left who is overcome by the beauty of his vision – and in the end compelled to destroy it.

ABOUT JOHN SLABY

Working in oils, John Slaby’s paintings are noted for their highly conceptual nature and attention to realistic detail. His art often focuses on the human condition and the shared experiences of life. The connection created between the art, the artist and the viewer is, for him, the role of the artist and the core of his spirituality.

John has had numerous gallery shows in the Houston area and has received awards in a number of juried exhibitions. He is, for example, a two-time first prize winner in the Visual Art Alliance Juried Exhibition (1998 and 2014) and was a finalist for the Hunting Art Prize in 2013.

John has been a member of Archway Gallery since 1993. He served as director from 2008 to 2013 and has been treasurer since 2004.

Born and raised in New York City, John Slaby has been a resident of the Houston area for over 25 years. John holds a doctorate in chemical engineering and has been pursuing his art seriously since his first outdoor show in 1989 at the then-called Westheimer Art Festival. He is also an amateur classical pianist and won the Silver Medal in the Chopin Society of Houston’s First Chopin Competition for Adult Amateur Pianists in 2004.