On a lazy summer afternoon at the New Haven Library, I was catapulted from a state of relative calm and quiet contemplation to a state of anticipation, then anxiety and apprehension.  Thankfully, I'm not prone to anxiety attacks.  But, that is precisely what I felt when viewing "The Stairway" (44" x 58" acrylic on canvas) in Paintings by John Favret on exhibit at the New Haven Public Library through October 12, 2010. 

 

Nearly everyone can recall a staircase or two they have descended perhaps into a cocktail party or niteclub where lights are dimmed.  But, what makes John Favret's painting "The Stairway" ominous for this viewer is that when one leaves the well-lit stairs, things seem just a bit too dark.  One could almost discern the top of people's heads in a crowd but you can't discern figures in this degree of darkness.  And so, I felt to be just a couple stairs above the person in the painting descending those stairs.  Perhaps just enough time to turn around and get out of there but, in any case, definitely activating my "fight or flight" response.     

 

Undoubtedly, John Favret is a master at eliciting emotion from his viewer.  His ability to bring "the viewer as participant" in his paintings is remarkable and reminds me of many stylized icons I have seen where the viewer is brought directly within the purview of the painting.  Most of Favret's paintings are life-size and the texture of the paint so visceral that one feels to merge with the painting itself.

 

In "Crapshoot" (60" x 52" acrylic on canvas), one need only take a quick ride to the local casino to know that Favret has captured the essence of the gambling experience.  From exultation and pure euphoria, to fear and desperation, to overstimulation and then to numbness and disconnect how one feels is a consequence of where he or she is in the game...not unlike the game of life itself.  And the "viewer as participant" is a part of the palatable energy.

 

In "Veniero's" (24" x 30" acrylic on canvas),  because the painting is somewhat smaller in scale than Favret's more typical life-size canvases, I felt as if he might be suggesting life in the rear view mirror; a memory rather than an event transpiring at that very moment.  The painting encourages self-reflection and I felt as though I may have walked down that street myself once or many time in my life. With a certain degree of acceptance or perhaps even resignation the figure in the painting schleps down the street in baseball cap and carry-on and his concerns could just as well be the viewer's concerns.  But the figures are small and distant and the greater vibe of the City at night takes center stage.  

 

Interestingly, it is the City that is the backdrop in "The Story Teller" (52" x 60" acrylic on canvas).  The story teller continues "to spin yarns" whilst the listeners seem resigned and another at the edge of the painting seems to be running fervently to escape the story teller's milieu.  The affect is almost humorous as everyone has been part of a conversation from which he or she has wanted direly to escape.

 

But, what is so interesting about "The Story Teller" is that in the macrocosm of the City it is this microcosm of a few individuals that takes Favret's concern.  The importance of the individual is elevated and certainly makes the point that we all have a story to tell even if it is not a story all want to hear.

 

In the City of New Haven, Mr. Johnes Ruta as curator of Azothgallery, has provided for many artists' stories throughout the years whether tucked away in the York Square Cinema's gallery or the New Haven Public Library's lower level gallery.  And thankfully, each and every exhibition has been a story worth the listening.   

Cordially, Donna Marie Joyce