Abrahamson’s Nudes Strike a Less Than Ecstatic Pose

John U. Abrahamson’s meticulously painted nudes bring the devotional aspect of traditional religious icons to standard sadomasochistic imagery. At Circle Elephant Art, 18 domestically scaled oils on panel, canvas and paper (most set in elaborately carved and gold-leafed frames) tap into a history in which the ecstasy of the flesh is a metaphor for spiritual transcendence.

Think of the many versions of the scantily clad St. Sebastian, who appears in museums all over the world. Tied to a tree and pierced by executioners’ arrows, the young, muscular martyr often seems to be of two minds about dying. On the one hand, his swooning body and ecstatic expression represent the release he feels at passing from a life of suffering to one of eternal salvation. On the other, Sebastian sometimes looks as if he’s having the time of his life, experiencing intense physical pain as an exquisite, highly cultivated pleasure.

Unfortunately, Abrahamson’s illustrative paintings are too cold and mechanical to give convincing physical form to such emotional complexity. Although consummately crafted, his images of sword-wielding studs and leather-masked Madonnas too eagerly embrace sci-fi cliches to rise above the outlandish theatrics of the World Wrestling Federation.

It’s difficult to take these works seriously, because the figures merely seem to be going through the motions, striking poses because they’ve been told to. Ecstasy is a far more demanding master (or mistress) than Abrahamson’s dutifully executed paintings suggest.

* Circle Elephant Art, 4634 Hollywood Blvd., (323) 662-3279, through Oct. 28. Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.