It does recall the work of Otto Dix in that there are elements of that same durable classical element. But, a classicism that is ill-proportioned, off balance, off kiltered and ready to leave the riverbed and pounce. Its the underclass which has been borrowed, bartered and exploited as waste material and not the green and clean of politically correct culture. The absence of harmonized and stylized formed physical features also situates its spirit in the anti-Italian Renaissance character and more in the Northern European realism meets American West coast graphics of a Crumb and Zap but transposed to the visual language of a fine art idiom.
Mars’ technical control is breathtaking. His Social Expressionist paintings contain the meticulous detail of Salvador Dali, the political incisiveness of Otto Dix, and the emotional gut-punch of Francis Bacon…Mars hopes his work causes the viewer to question the nature of evaluation and labels, be it by investigating the meaning of beauty, or by casting aside the exclusion of the meek, the forgotten, or the enemy. Like many artists, Mars seeks to know Truth. In his canvases are villains and angels, though one’s initial demarcation may, as in life, prove false. Read More:http://beinart.org/modules/Word-Press/2008/05/22/chris-mars-monograph/