Each of the many paintings presented in 7:42 P.M. is a visual novella about the challenges and possibilities of the human condition.
It is difficult to do justice to an artist like Chris Mars whose work is so varied and prolific. Whole volumes could be written about his major themes. In reviewing the multitude of Chris Mars's paintings we are constantly reminded of themes from centuries of European art and the extraordinary traditions of Asian Buddhist and Hindu art as well.
These pages-filled with haunting portraits of beautiful women combined with skeletal forms, of crowds of wounded people surrounded by medical personnel, of dark landscapes opened up by bright tunnels of light-will hopefully give the reader a more comprehensive view into his complex, inspirational, and beautiful world.
Chris Mars paints to express personal experiences that led him to confront the torments of misunderstood and unloved individuals whose presence was far outside of the "norm" of social acceptability. He is able to sympathetically and beautifully depict this sense of otherness, isolation, fear, and cruel oppression. He shows us that with care and kindness the world goes on.
About the Author :
Rock star, recluse, brother, activist, artist. Chris Mars, darling of the Low-Brow movement and Juxtapoz regular. His work graces the haloed halls of museums throughout America and is tattooed on calves and biceps throughout the world. Mars is often best-known as legendary drummer of The Replacements, Minneapolis pioneers of punk and college rock that adjacently aligned or competed with groups such as Hüsker Dü and R.E.M., but were a notable influence on countless others (Wilco, The Lemonheads, Ryan Adams, Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, etc.). While Mars concentrates mainly on his art career, he still occasionally releases new music, including a new forthcoming solo album.
Review :
“This is the work of Chris Mars. If you are not yet familiar with this artist I promise you will not forget him. This work will take you on the most fascinating detour. Take your time. Take in the details...”
This is how I would greet visitors who came to an exhibition of Chris Mars paintings at my gallery. To have one of his meticulously rendered paintings in front of you is an extraordinary experience; an entire gallery filled with Mars’s genius is riveting! Mars’s work is for those with socio-civic maturity, for those who are large-hearted. Fans of his work will find their way through a maze of visual contradictions to see beauty in those pleading eyes. It is rare to find an artist that can take you on an emotional and intellectual trip the way Mars does.
The eyes are his signature, yet Mars’s work is far from formulaic. Each piece tells a unique story. A visual opera, his paintings sing of longing, torment, violence or disconnectedness. His commentary is rich; it speaks of socio-psychic trials and their effects on the human condition. These are true tales laced with misfortune, confusion, frustration or sorrow. We can relate to the pain or at least sympathize with it and understand that hope and healing are possible, because Mars shows us these as well. It happens when our own perception of beauty becomes undistorted. When you find these kinds of raw emotions in a Mars painting you might feel that you cannot breathe, but you do, and you keep living out of obligation to the life you were gifted. His characters plead with the viewer for comfort. The connection is so intimate. Chris also has the ability to make you feel admiration for his subjects. These are heroes to Chris Mars. They limp along through life better than you and I might, had we been dealt their hand. Mars’s compositions possess a profound otherworldliness. His people are placed in rooms or landscapes that appear to be centuries old. As a viewer you get the sense that you are looking into a time capsule—the moments he portrays are still alive and vivid. There is life in the skin and the eyes, created from a palette of colors that you would find inside the human body. He paints many layers of skin, some with bile-colored yellow-greens that are juxtaposed with blood red lips, layered again with purple. Chris uses complementary colors side by side and this makes his subjects vibrate—an old Flemish technique that Mars has mastered.
Even the smallest of his paintings are a decadent piece of chocolate for the viewer. He is a genius, creating paintings that are emotional magnets. They pull us into his very personal yet universal stories. Chris Mars is truly one of the great painters of our time. His work adds to our understanding of the complex world in which we live. Enter the gallery created in this volume, and be moved.
—Kellie Rae Theiss, Owner & Director of the Kellie Rae Theiss Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1996–2004
