I almost didn't post about Brian Rubenacker's wonderful dog paintings today. Something about them -- their color palette, the dogs' heads under the graphics, the shape of the canvases – seemed too similar to the Nepalese dog art I featured on Tuesday. And I like to mix things up. Then, I remembered the art history class staple of the split screen critique where two styles of art are compared and contrasted. So today, I'm getting professorial and looking at Rubenacker's work in light of the Nepalese dog art tradition.
The dog art from Nepal might be classified as naïve art, defined as untrained, awkward, charming, and simple but no less powerful. Rubenacker's work could be called pseudo naïve, a term used to define a formally trained artist (Rubenacker is) who consciously ignores traditions of fine art. But I don't think it's quite the right classification for him. He doesn't exactly fall into the pop surrealist movement either, lacking the Boschian darkness common to it. So for Rubenacker, I'm coining a new classification: "Precocious Art."
His dogs are naughty and knowing. They are childlike with their toys, and as cool as Rat Packers with their martinis and highballs. They are up to no good, smoking cigarettes and getting into the cookie jar, but they are certainly not primitive in the naïve tradition, or terror-filled, hopeless, nihilistic and gruesome in the pop surrealist one. They are simply precocious. And judging from Rubenacker's success in this style, his work is found in private collections around the world, they are quite popular. Maybe "Pop Precocious" is a more accurate term to capture his unique style. Just remember you heard it here first. Class dismissed.
Rubenacker lives in Waterford Michigan with his lovely wife, René, and his two Boston Terriers. Visit his Etsy shop and his blog to learn more.
