Both “grand” and “clunky,” Baechler's paintings of odd groups of figures and houses comprise a wry running commentary on contemporary society. The artist’s childlike line interacts with a highly active, fractured surface achieved by a lengthy process of accumulation and collage (all manner of found images and printed matter find their way into Baechler’s work). In a droll, postmodern style, Baechler’s work simultaneously evokes the artful unschooledness of Dubuffet, the physical heroics of the postwar American abstractionists, and the irony of Pop.
A full-color catalogue with an essay by David Rimanelli accompanies the exhibition.
