Goodnight Sweet Prince is artist John Van Horn’s vision of visual experimentation through the influential lens of science fiction, comic books and film. For this viewer, it brings to mind the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh sliced, diced and blended with the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro (in particular, The City of Lost Children).

Goodnight is a collection of original paintings, clayboards and mixed media works, alongside a selection of prints that are now on display at Helikon Gallery and Studios (3675 Wynkoop).

Van Horn’s intention was to convey “mood rather than fully-formed concepts, encouraging viewers to read their own meaning into the the work.” His “melancholy imagery” is in direct contrast to “a deliberate sense of humorous absurdity.” By poking fun at sorrow, adversity and misfortune, he aims to create a sense of catharsis. The emptiness of his subject’s eye sockets and the quips that come through in the titles of his works (“Full Head Transplant,” “Not Today, Satan,” “Ciggy Butt Brain”) help to convey a playful sense of jest that undermines the darkness that might otherwise overwhelm the work.

According to his bio, Van Horn is an avid book reader, film watcher and fan of graphic novels and it comes through in his work, which could easily be panels from a graphic novel about the lost denizens that are left at the end of the world.

Haunting, but kind of hilarious at the same time.