Captain Triumph (1993), Acrylic/Canvas, 66 x 66", 172.7x172.7cm
From early performances (e.g. the 'Hitler Toss' at Fisherman's Wharf)
to the iconic canvases of the '90s (*Doctor X *; *The Night of Darwin*) gravity's
unpredictable pull continues to play a pivotal role. As the artist cultivates
a compelling Jackson Pollock-meets-Captain Marvel aesthetic, he floats hyperrealistic
figures (resurrected from moldy undervalued secondary sources -- B-movie posters,
pulp novel covers, etc.) atop ebb-tiding abstract nebulae. In an art-negative
society that pillories art--and artists-- as either frivolous or dangerous,
perhaps it's not surprising that Sheridan's paintings have periodically elicited
myopic shrieks of 'sexploitation' (populated, as they are, with a sex-positive
cast of bodacious femmes, as well as chiseled beefcakes like 'George Brush'
and 'Captain Triumph') and have felt the sting of the censor's lash.
-- Harry Roche, Curator.
johnsheridanart@sbcglobal.net