Great Barrington, Massachusetts-based artist Phil Knoll is as inspired by the TV animation of Looney Toons and “Mighty Mouse” as he is by classical painting. As a student at the University of Texas, Knoll recalls how his instructor Peter Saul’s colorful, cartoony works exploring the depths of American depravity opened his eyes and to what cartoon imagery can do.” Knoll also cites Alice Neel, Saul Steinberg, and Man Ray as influences. 

“Admittedly, there is a cornucopia of divergent styles to be found in mon oeuvre. I challenge myself to imagine what might be a sane response to life on Earth,” says Knoll. “Then I choose the best vehicle to realize the vision, whether via realism, cartoon, or by stepping into the sneakers of other artists for brief raids on their genius. I put my heart into my work, because there is nothing I won’t do to body forth the wit in my pictures. Beauty is the supreme goal. There is also an obsession to focus on the small within the large. What is the universe if not for its details?”

This clash of old and new comes together in Odysseus Tempted by the Sirens. Odysseus wears a golden earring, looking as much like an ancient pirate as a modern hipster. The blue ribbons going into his ears suggest the sweet things the sirens sing to Odysseus while he is lashed to the mast. These utterances include: “Beer! We have beer!,” “Obvious you never have to take the trash out here,” and “Odysseus you’re so hot!”

In Knoll’s depiction, Homer’s protagonist, eyes watering, grits his teeth in the face of seduction, albeit with a farcical, contemporary twist. It’s an updated statement on how flattery and temptation can derail mankind. “I’m attempting to have fun with the stories while honoring their history. In general, I want my work to be entertaining and thought-provoking,” Knoll says. 

Knoll’s knowledge and skill are evident in his rendering of Odysseus’s hair, a mess of pattern that on closer inspection reveals a deep understanding of ancient art and brings to mind the cursive, calligraphic inscriptions found in the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.  “I was trying to get the matted, kinked up feeling that I imagined a guy who fought 10 years in the battle of Troy and sailed around the Mediterranean Sea for seven odd years would have. While attempting to draw that mess I stumbled upon the twisting and turning design, which was influenced by archaic Celtic, Norse, and Muslim decorations,” Knoll says.

Odysseus Tempted by the Sirens is part of the exhibition “Wild Wonders” on display at Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, through March 2. The exhibit also features the work of Stephanie Anderson, Alyssa Fanning, and Zohar Lazar.

“I believe I’m brave, and perhaps foolish to admit it, but I want my art to be fun. Fun to make. Fun to look at. Fun to think about. But that doesn’t mean my pictures aren’t serious. I attempt to confront important issues, focusing mainly on human arrogance,” says Knoll. “There is a great need to poke, prod, and expose the hubris of homo sapiens in my work. Sometimes the irreverence is obvious, other times it comes at you at a slant. But it is rarely lacking, if you look.”

In conjunction with the exhibit, Phil Knoll will offer two live drawing demonstrations: February 1 from 2-4pm and February 15 from 2-4pm.