Ever watch an amusement park at night with your eyes dilated by good dope? That's how it feels to stand in front of Steve DiBenedetto's recent paintings and drawings. Much less representational than earlier efforts, the new works present complex, vaguely mechanical systems of spirals, blobs, angular constructions, and tangled tubing—all connected and glowing like neon.
When DiBenedetto's favorite subjects (octopus, helicopter, building) do occasionally make an appearance, as in Spiral, they're pretty much overwhelmed by the dream-state kaleidoscope. Yet for all the chaos of line, form, and loose brushwork, he keeps things under control with the careful placement of pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens, expertly balancing their vibrancy like a latter-day Fauvist.- Robert Shuster
When DiBenedetto's favorite subjects (octopus, helicopter, building) do occasionally make an appearance, as in Spiral, they're pretty much overwhelmed by the dream-state kaleidoscope. Yet for all the chaos of line, form, and loose brushwork, he keeps things under control with the careful placement of pinks, oranges, yellows, and greens, expertly balancing their vibrancy like a latter-day Fauvist.- Robert Shuster
December 22, 2010
