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A Third Man Theme

Louisiana Gallery shows paintings by O'Neil, Casas and Schiffhauer

Who is that man who turns away?  His lean features are darkened as he puts hose hoary scenes to his back; on his face a look of, what, repulsion? Disgust? Desire?
  The figure is present in nearly every one of the Melesio Casa acrylics currently sharing a three-man exhibition in the Louisiana Gallery.
  Abstract, prismatic color studies by Rice professor of art John O'Neil complete the show with the boldly geometric schemes, some in more shapely castings than others as the artist, of Texas A and M professor of the fine arts Robert Schiffhauer, who seems to have slashed off a side of the traditional rectangular surface to produce a variety of four sided frames.
  Schiffhauer's hard edged "Vertical Landscape" and "Drawing" not included -

art circles

paintings feature muscular diagonals of primary color which the artist liquifies with an occasional curvilinear broad line or color field.  Most of the works are untitled.  
  O'Neil's peaches and creamy essays are the first to greet the viewer and, in the sunlit first gallery of the Louisiana Gallery, light playing particularly perky games through that magnificent cut glass front door, are well displayed.
  But through the door darkly looms the bigger than life "Humanscapes" of Casas, a native Texan, who holds a BA degree from Texas Western College, an MFA degree from the University of the Americans in Mexico City and currently is a professor of art at San Antonio College.
  All seven of the canvases bear the same design, presenting a picture within a picture.  Picture that!  Casas' innermost scene is inspired by the wide movie screen and fills the greater area of the canvas.  Onto it, Casas projects, in his harsh unflattering light, scenes of his impressions of Americana.
In "Humanscape 47" it is a still life with a Victorian bouquet of flowers fresh from a country garden and drooping dewily flanked by a cup of coffee and a piece of - the Super Symbol - apple pie, all served up with celibate ceremony on Melmac dishware.
  In "Humanscope 26" the screen shows a neck-to-navel shot of a woman proud and flaunting in her black brassiere.  "Humanscape 29" carries the pan down further and presents perhaps the same woman, this time in gaudy bikini.  It's a navel-to-knee shot.
  Pulling back from Casas' Cinemascopes, the viewer sees the "audience," usually the same withdrawing man, sometimes crowd scenes of hysterical women.  Sometimes, as above, both.
  And pulling back to behold the whole canvas, Casas, with an asymmetrical border along two sides of the work, has removed the whole scene one dimension further for the viewer to become a sort of eavesdropper on the whole.  
  As the man, most probably.  Perhaps the nameless male is Casas, but in these canvases with no explanatory titles, Casas leaves conclusions for the viewer to draw.
  His presentation in the bisque and deathly modeling of many sacred cows is strong enough to suggest the man has suffered a case of nausea, and that, in turning away, he has the right idea.  Whoever he is. - CRAIG PALMER  

[[picture - "Humanscape 34"]]  Casas' "Humanscape 34," currently on view at the Whitt Memorial Museum in San Antonio, is typical of the group at the Louisiana