Alan Pocaro reviews Milton Resnick: Allegory & Insignia at Mana Contemporary Chicago, on view through December 26, 2014.

“Despite the best efforts of our materialist society to rid the world of anything that can’t be quantified, measured and easily referenced, the belief that signs, symbols and images possess a special kind of power is still pervasive. Resnick’s paintings are suffused with this otherworldly magnetism, and nowhere is it more visible than in his many late works-on-paper… The crosses and ‘X’s that dominate these untitled and frenetic compositions are hard to make sense of. Appearances aside, they don’t feel like exercises in abstraction, but rather read like talismans, charms… ‘Allegory and Insignia’ is a long overdue celebration of the artist’s achievements and a vital dose of artistic integrity when it’s needed most.”