Stigmata

Artist Gary Mayer (American, born 1957)

Date1982

MediumOil crayon on paper

DimensionsImage Size: 24 × 19 in. (61 × 48.3 cm) Frame Size: 28 3/4 × 23 3/4 in. (73 × 60.3 cm)

ClassificationsDrawing

Credit LineGift of Dennis Nawrocki, 2014

Object numberUAC6132

DescriptionThe work of Gary Mayer, Detroit native and Wayne State University graduate, contains a myriad of themes ranging from monsters and dragons to biblical saints in states of divine ecstasy. Characterized by thick, energized lines and a flare of red pigment, Stigmata is a depiction of pain and populace. A haunting collection of hands reach up, zombie-like, while the frontal pair creates a centralized explosion of red anguish.

Gary Mayer was a member of the first wave of Cass Corridor artists during his time at Wayne State University, and showed his work in exhibitions at local Detroit venues such as the Detroit Artists Market and the late Willis Gallery. Mayer moved to New York City in 1982, and still continues to create and show work in New York and Michigan.

Text by Catherine Milewski