Detroit Contemporary Reflects on Male Themes

As featured in the Detroit Free Press, December 26, 1999

By Keri Guten Cohen

A trio of male painters takes over Detroit Contemporary in "364 Days." The most well-known of the three is James Stephens, a member of the third generation of Cass Corridor artists. Stephens recently announced that he has given up painting, so this might be your last chance to see (or buy) these works.

His pieces are bold, exuberantly painted treatises on industry, urban decay and the male figure, which often is portrayed naked and exposed to the elements, as in "Demolition." The fairly scary painting depicts a bloody man with a hammer who is surrounded by smashed debris.

Paul Snyder, a Detroiter returned from New York, offers paintings that draw back the viewer for another look, not only because of his fine technique but also because of the illusionary subject matter. DonÕt miss the triptych "Performance Piece (Vessel)," which is dominated by a central painting of naked men inside an empty water tank.

Detroiter Robert BerryÕs paintings and sketches, a mix of pornographic images with classic mythology and religious iconography, might not appeal to everyone.