ART REVIEW : Assemblages as Flights of Pippin Fancy

Ron Pippin’s fantasies take three forms: elongated figures that are decked out in trappings of war and religion, delicate vehicles that could be bound for another planet and maps that might provide guidance to unknown places.

The Long Beach artist lets his imagination run in all three directions in an intriguing show at the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum (to Sept. 3), but the figurative path is most compelling.

Ten pencil-thin figures (from 3 to 5 feet tall) compose a silent army of soldiers who might have returned from the Crusades. Embalmed in their finery, these assemblages are startling accumulations of thrift-shop treasures, impeccably crafted into atavistic fetishes. The sculptures wear laced leather vests and leggings, fur capes and turbans or metal helmets, but their clothing is obscured by gobs of pearls and gold chains draped around their necks and by an overwhelming conglomeration of accouterments. Military insignias mingle with crucifixes and Christian charms on costumes, while knives and swords dangle from shoulders and belts.

At first the figures blend into a bewildering mass of strangely preserved humanity, but close inspection reveals that they are individuals with identities, personal histories and priorities. “Francis,” apparently modeled after the patron saint of animals, wears a halo and carries a string of dried fish while grasping the leash of a pheasant who is fitted for battle.

“Sebastian” has feathered arms and sports a breast plate of Oriental deities’ faces. Having lost his feet, “Passenti” stands on stilts but seems to draw strength from a cross and a pair of swords that tower behind him. Rather like old kachina dolls and encrusted African sculpture, these contemporary assemblages have an aura of authenticity that makes them equally scary and wondrous.

Weighted down by overtones of morality, Pippin’s figures are earthbound. In contrast, his vehicles take off into unencumbered space. Streamlined contraptions--made of varnished wood, canvas and hardware--are neither air- nor seaworthy; they simply connect to the idea of escape and adventure. “Varja,” a 21x16-foot, winged construction, hangs in the gallery like an example of man’s will to fly. “Konga-Za,” equipped with sled-like runners and wing-like sails, might be a visionary’s catamaran.

The Contemporary Arts Forum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Information: (805) 966-5373.