Roller: the paintings of Donald Roller Wilson

Roller: the paintings of Donald Roller Wilson by Wilson, Donald Roller. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780877015628.

Donald Roller Wilson (born 1938) is an American artist, known for his paintings of people and anthropomorphized chimpanzees, orangutans, cats, and dogs, set in southern gothic interiors, twilight forests, and nocturnal graveyards, often amidst complex still lifes or floral arrangements, with levitating pickles, olives, asparagus, wooden matches, and cigarette butts. His images are often comical and at times disquieting. His paintings are executed using techniques and a style reminiscent of the old masters, or what the artist himself has called "kind of Victorian".  He gained national recognition in the mid-1970s and his work is included in the collections of several museums throughout the United States. This exuberant midcareer anthology presents a richly representative sampling of Donald Roller Wilson’s work from 1973 to 1988. Over seventy paintings and six details are reproduced in color, displaying to full advantage Wilson’s skilled draughtsmanship, sensuous technique, and dramatic handling of color, light and space. The extended captions, in some cases complete captions, in some cases complete narrative poems, and a commentary by the artist, identifying the cast of characters regularly appearing in the paintings, provide some clues about what is really going on. The book contains, as well, a listing of collections and of exhibitions.