Santa Monica

A mini-retrospective spanning 27 years of work by Wayne Thiebaud suggests that this senior California realist is evolving in precisely the prescribed manner. On the evidence presented here, his work appears to be growing mellower and ever more lyrical as it tackles increasingly complex formal problems. (Rendering the undulating streets of San Francisco is a challenge currently engaging him.)

Known for his sensuous depictions of commonplace objects--sugary desserts in particular--Thiebaud came into prominence in the early ‘60s as part of the Pop movement. Thiebaud never considered himself a Pop artist (despite the fact that the aggressive blankness of his early work was extremely Pop), but like crumbs from a gooey eclair, a residue of Pop continues to stick to his work. Perhaps it’s his penchant for synthesized, mass produced goods, perhaps it’s the cool emotional tone of his work, perhaps it’s his talent for investing mundane objects with glamour and mystery. Whatever, his work still looks pretty Pop (a fairly timely way to look right now).

Growing up in Long Beach, Thiebaud worked the spotlight in a theater and spent a good amount of time working in restaurants; those experiences dovetail visibly in his work. His still-life studies present objects perfectly positioned and lit, radiating halos of color and enhanced to the point that they take on the authority of archetypes. When his work isn’t up to snuff--as in a color etching titled “Boxed Balls”--it’s merely quaint, almost cloying. It’s rare, however, that this rigorous technician allows an unrealized work to leave the studio; this impressively consistent body of work is proof of that. (Marilyn Butler Gallery, 910 Colorado Ave., to July 3.)