John Yau reviews Chris Martin at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, on view through March 3, 2012.

Yau writes: "The central thing that distinguishes Chris Martin from his forebears (Forrest Bess, Alfred Jensen, and Simon Gouveneur) is his meshing of visionary symbols and images derived from mass culture, particularly from the world of popular music… The other distinguishing feature is his slyly anarchic humor. (It's hard to imagine Forrest Bess telling a joke)."