Jen, I wonder- do you even like paintings? After reading this review and a few of your other reviews of painting shows, I am left with the feeling that you enjoy concepts in art, but the actual painting itself is less than important.
Some things that tell me this/ unanswered questions that are important to someone who appreciates painting-
How big are these pieces?
Are they well executed?
And most importantly- did you like them? I know you liked the concept but your review tell me nothing that makes me want to see this show.
I tender these to you respectfully. I enjoy your writing but am wondering if you should review painting shows.

Scott: I do like these; I'm sorry if that was unclear. But are you serious about the rest? These are deliberately illustrational, which you can see by simply looking at them online. They're not paintings about painting -- they're as much about drawing as about painting, and even more so about bureaucratic illustration. I describe the style of them in the first sentence.

I do very much like painting, and just wrote a review of the incredibly varying types of painting that appear in the Munich Secession show at the Frye (comparing them to Sean Scully, Wayne Thiebaud, and Balthus, among others) -- but I tend to follow a show's lead in what I write about it, and Dunkerley's paintings aren't really involved in issues about painting per se.

Jen