Since the later 1960s Robert Cottingham, perhaps best known as a first-generation Photorealist, has recorded and interpreted dynamic fragments of the American man-made urban and industrial fabric. The artist is well known for his paintings of urban storefronts and signage viewed at close range. With technical precision and an unerring eye for stirring compositions, he has explored the interaction between pedestrian or wry street-level verbiage and the diverse visual patterns that criss-cross every inch of the contemporary cityscape. In much of the artist’s work, neon or painted signage vies with rich fields of striped awnings, linear fire escapes, architectural detail, shadows, and reflections for our attention. While no humans are present in his paintings and prints, their influence is apparent; in the words of the artist, the inclusion of people "would be anecdotal; I give you the trail of people." (note: William Zimmer, "Capturing the Fading Signs of America as Art," New York Times, 7 August 1988, 13.)

In Barber Shop (1988), Cottingham pays homage to one of the fathers of 20th century American Realism, Edward Hopper. Cottingham appropriated an element, a lone barber pole, from Hopper’s Early Sunday Morning (1930, Whitney Museum of American Art) - a much quoted and referenced icon among later 20th century Realists. Cottingham transformed the solitary barber pole into the featured element of a brilliantly composed and orchestrated composition. In Cottingham’s revision, the red, white and blue striped pole is presented front and center played off through form and color against the foil of a section of brick wall complete with drain pipes that homogenizes under a perceptibly thick coat of vibrant blue-violet paint, and, a shop window that, like a painting within a painting, is framed by its own old, patinated copper frame described in a pale, acid blue-green. The deep shadow cast by the barber pole onto the blue brick wall pushes it into high relief and draws attention to the sharp contrast between it and the skillfully handled muted, weathered surfaces of the wall. In a composition built largely of vertical and horizontal elements, the whorled red, white, and blue stripes of the barber pole provide a burst of energy, echoed by the saucy tilt of an abstracted pole in the small monochrome decal affixed to the window. Cottingham’s Barber Shop, sporting its patriotic salute to the red, white, and blue, finds its place as a most artful banner of Contemporary American Realism.

The inherent humility of the unpretentious subject, the heightened contrast between the bright colors, both warm and cool, and, the measured rhythms of repeated geometries were learned from Hopper and others. But the crisp highlights on the shaft of the barber pole and the precision of the "Stephan's Barber Shop" decal reveal Cottingham’s mastery with striking illusions long recognized as the hallmark of Photorealism. This painting is a prime example of the artist's internal dialogue between his 'photorealist' and painterly impulses. In fact, quite in contrast to the barber pole, the startling red apparition in the barber shop window reads less as the expected slick 'photorealist' reflection than as an impulsive abstraction.

The inherent humility of the unpretentious subject, the heightened contrast between the bright colors, both warm and cool, and, the measured rhythms of repeated geometries were learned from Hopper and others. But the crisp highlights on the shaft of the barber pole and the precision of the "Stephan's Barber Shop" decal reveal Cottingham’s mastery with striking illusions long recognized as the hallmark of Photorealism. This painting is a prime example of the artist's internal dialogue between his 'photorealist' and painterly impulses. In fact, quite in contrast to the barber pole, the startling red apparition in the barber shop window reads less as the expected slick 'photorealist' reflection than as an impulsive abstraction.

Pool Car, 1989 Gouache on board

©by Virginia Anne Bonito, revised "Get Real" Cottingham essay, April 25, 2000.

For a more detailed printed view of the collection order the book:
	Get Real: Contemporary American Realism from the Seavest Collection Virginia Anne Bonito. Foreword by Michael Philip Mezzatesta, pp. 138, 68 colorplates, 2 b/w photographs Exhibition at DUMA April 4-July 6, 1997. Hard cover $40.00 Soft cover $25.00 To order contact: Duke University Museum of Art Click on Publications