Paul Becker Gives Us All Some "Further Reading"

Ever since I first saw his work in a show that Martyn Cross curated last year in NYC, I’ve been a big fan of Paul Becker’sgraceful work. In particular, I got hooked on how he mixes the elegance of Art Nouveau trademarks with contemporary painterly nonchalance to arrive in a territory that feels arcane and cryptic. And luckily for me, Sans Titre Gallery in Paris recently opened his solo show, Further Reading, and the selection of canvases and works on paper is everything I was hoping for and more.

Sure, time traveling isn’t possible, but dealing with that notion becomes more difficult when someone like Becker comes along. His work looks like it came straight out of an art history book, showing what people were making at the turn of the 20th century, when romantic elegance and tech-backed calculation collided. Not only what they made, but how they made it, as the British artist’s works often appear aged, worn out, or in progress. Made with gouache, colored pencil, and/or watercolor on canvas, the paintings’ peculiar surfaces give them the feel of something rediscovered and authentic, emphasizing a somewhat ambiguous, unsettling vibe beneath otherwise lavish visuals.

I have to admit that work that relies heavily on exactness and precision usually doesn’t resonate with me that strongly. Yet, this is where Becker makes a swift turn, stepping away from demonstrating precision or skill, and approaching the execution in a slightly unrefined, almost unbothered, contemporary manner. And in a moment when humanity increasingly longs for things that prove the presence of an imperfect human hand, the way Becker leaves the imperfections visible becomes a significant trademark. His flamboyant blend of lush, asymmetrical, sinuous linework, “whiplash” curves, and tastefully reduced or stylized imagery suggests a sinister sense of a fading human grace and grandeur. By rendering his genuinely polished, ornamental visuals w a purposely raw technique, Becker sets the tone to “enigmatic” while providing an additional layer of information for Further Reading. —Saša Bogojev