This surrealist graphite drawing, by Danny Allen shows some influence of the work of Salvidor Dali. It was given to me as a gift by R. James Cromwell in 2011. When he gave me the drawing, neither James nor I were aware that there was more to the drawing than what we saw. The drawing was matted, and the mat was adhered with mucilage glue. While I was inspecting it, the mat “forgave” and fell away revealing more of the drawing beneath. Time and chemicals had interacted with the paper, and handsomely in my opinion.
Dan loved patina and the accidents of age. I don’t know if he translated that appreciation as something that would eventually effect his own art. But the ambering of the old dried-out glue only enhances the effect of this tiny graphite drawing. this piece is signed but undated. There is a similar piece which will appear in the book, but I only have reproduction rights for use in the book but not for any other media sources. That other piece is dated 1974. It’s likely this drawing was from the same period, but there is no proving it. This drawing is only two and one half inches by five and three quarters inches.
An Early Work Late in Life 