WHAT: “Henry Darger: Landscapes”

WHEN: December 13, 2012 – February 2, 2013

WHERE: Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 529 West 20^th Street, New York

WHY THIS SHOW MATTERS: The mystical landscapes painted by one of the most prolific self-taught artists in history, Henry Darger, are getting a rare showcase at Ricco/Maresca Gallery in Chelsea this month. The author and artist of the 15,000-page illustrated masterpiece, widely known as “In the Realms of the Unreal,” not only created colorful and danger-filled quests starring his hermaphroditic heroines the Vivian Girls, but also traced, collaged, and painted wild lands for them to inhabit. The paintings combine his vast knowledge of Civil War battles with ornate fairy tale-like scenarios that demonstrate delicate brushwork as well as an innate sensitivity to line and color.

Many of his landscapes are comprised of multiple panels, and extend several feet in length to make sweeping panoramas in which the Vivian Girls battle his other famed creations – the evil Glandelinian adults – and innocently explore dark, wooded landscapes and peaceful mountains. While his characters are identifiable as metaphors for the injustice of enslavement, his careful curation of traced imagery and attention to perspective can be appreciated for its formal mastery alone. Displayed alongside his scenery are examples of the painstaking process in which Darger used a copy machine to experiment with the size and placement of his figures, as well as the sizable archive of newspaper and magazine images he used as references to forge a mish-mash of historical and now-iconic fictional imagery.

To see paintings from the exhibition, click the slideshow here.