Walton Ford Paints Beasts of Nature

Wolves gnawing on dead soldiers, a gorilla with a gun in its mouth and an aroused monkey fondling its noose: these are not images that typify the naturalist style which Walton Ford employs. Characterizing his work as a “cultural history of the way animals live in the human imagination,” the Massachusetts-based artist paints large-format watercolors of frequently violent wildlife encounters, noting that “before Fay Wray comes to Skull Island, King Kong isn’t doing anything. There’s no story until she shows up.” Ford’s historically-styled animal illustrations are currently on view at Chelsea’s Paul Kasmin Gallery.

“New Work,” November 12 – December 23, Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 Tenth Ave