The show Queen and Country, featuring Dickson Schneider, Raymond Wong and Richard Kramer, exemplifies what we would describe as the power of image making in the hands of highly skilled and intelligent realist painters. These are "big" paintings to the fullest extent of the word. Not only physically impressive, each of the artists takes grand themes and makes them accessible through the nuances,
idiosyncracies, and ironies that are pervasive in America. We look at ourselves through the mirror of these works and find ourselves to be lost, haunted, ridiculous but also, strangely hopeful.

This is the best painting show you will see this year, it's probably going to be the best show you'll see all year period. It makes me wonder why painting is so under represented in contemporary galleries. I suspect that's because it can bite so close to the bone with images that hit home and refuse to be compromised with aesthetics and rhetoric. Come see for yourself.

More images are also available here:
http://rtkramer.com/queenandcountry

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