The Valley

International Pastiche: Enzo Palagyi ransacks the multicultural, historical world of art for an extended conceit that misfires--although some the works yield other pleasures. His paintings are reworkings of styles and imagery from such times and places as ancient Egypt (“Bast the Cat Goddess”), India (“God of Fertility”) and the Renaissance (Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” from the Sistine Chapel ceiling). On top of most of these loosely reinterpreted images, Palagyi paints a steady tattoo of brightly colored congealed blobs. Why? To equate the arbitrariness of each style with the essential meaningless of a blaring puddle of paint? Somehow, the effect looks too much like dumb, happy-go-lucky graffiti to make a conceptual point, and too insistently distracting to be waved off as an artist’s amusing little game.

One piece has a metal “support” imitating the restorative work done by archeologists. As in the paintings, however, the artist’s intent in setting up such vague approximations remains unclear. His strong suit really is his deft handling of color and pattern, particularly in the non-Western images, like “Olelo No Eau.” The flat image of a brown-skinned, redoubtably profiled swimmer surrounded by brightly colored jumping “waves” has an infectious lilt and verve. (Orlando Gallery, 14553 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, to Feb. 23.)