Thomas Micchelli reviews Ardent Nature: Arshile Gorky Landscapes, 1943–47 at Hauser & Wirth, New York, on view through December 23, 2017.

Micchelli observes: “The drawings in this show are breathtaking in their variety and intensity. Motifs glide in and out; graphite lines trace the contours of unknown plants and body parts, accented by strokes of green, yellow, orange, and red crayon drifting like blossom petals across the surface… the drawings in this show suggest that Gorky’s aesthetic is invested in the cultivation of visual ideas that transcend the individual artwork, a process that is occasionally frozen in paint.”