Coney Island II 1964

Richard Lindner made this painting Coney Island II with oil on canvas and, wow, is it a trip. The way Lindner puts down these flat blocks of color and then edges them in with a bit of shading—it's like he's building forms out of light and dark. Look at that electric blue circle buzzing around the figures, offset by the ochre yellow of the background. The paint has a smooth, almost slick quality, but it's the geometry of these shapes, sharp and decisive, that gives the piece its edge. Take that pink arm—it’s just hanging there, but the shading makes it feel so solid, so present. It’s a weird contrast because the guy in sunglasses’ face is a void. Like a mannequin or shop window dummy. Lindner’s whole vibe is related to artists like Philip Guston, in his late figurative period, where things get cartoonish, a little weird, and deeply psychological. Art, like Coney Island, is a funhouse mirror reflecting back our own desires, fears, and fantasies.