Clyfford Still & Cézanne
Kent Minturn undertakes and in-depth examination of Clyfford Still's thesis on Cézanne and the clues it provides to Still's early and later development as an artist. Minturn notest that "In his thesis Still eloquently emphasizes Cézanne’s 'tactual' application of paint and takes pains to describe the way his predecessor 'feels' his way around his forms. […]
Rob de Oude: Straight Line
Katarina Hybenova interviews painter Rob de Oude about his work and process. De Oude remarks: "The patterns [in my paintings] are completely random. That's a funny thing. I work with many opposites, like the perfection of the line combined with the fact that I do it by hand. It seems very mechanical but actually the […]
Enrico Riley: Interview
Christopher Joy and Zachary Keeting interview painter Enrico Riley on the occasion of the exhibition Enrico Riley: The Open Window at Giampietro Gallery, New Haven, CT, on view through May 25, 2012. Riley discusses his work and process noting: "I really strive to not have the paintings feel like just compositional games… and maybe in […]
Jane Dickson: Flickering Purgatories
David Brody reviews the recent exhibition Jane Dickson: Eat Slots, Play Free at Valentine Gallery. Brody writes that "Dickson's steady, sober vision strips the distracting fluff away down to architectural bones that show casinos to be a kind of peopled re-enactment of 20th century abstraction at its most positivist –– from Kandinsky to Frank Stella […]
Mondrian, Nicholson: In Parallel
A must read article by painter Alan Gouk on the work of Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholson, on view in the exhibition Mondrian, Nicholson: In Parallel at The Courtauld Gallery, London, on view through May 20, 2012. Gouk offers an insightful analysis of the work of each artist as well as a comparison of their […]
Sam Moyer: Slack Tide
A review of the recent exhibition Sam Moyer: Slack Tide at Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York. Despite an association with 1960's minimalism, the review notes that "when standing in front of one of Moyer's immense canvases, their dimension seems to be directed more inward than outward. Particularly in light of their oceanic titles, the paintings […]
Simplicity, Complexity, Geometry
Nancy Natale visits four painting exhibitions in New York: Debra Ramsay: Desire Lines at Blank Space (thorough May 19), Reed Danziger at McKenzie Fine Art (through April 28), Catherine Lee: Quanta at Galerie Lelong (through April 28), and Lush Geometry at DM Contemporary featuring work by: Steven Baris, Richard Bottwin, Carole Freysz Gutierrez, Joanne Mattera […]
The Drawings of Clyfford Still
A selection of Clyfford Still’s 1,500 drawings reflect a practice of lifelong visual inquiry and show drawing to be an important, perhaps crucial, tool in Still’s dramatic evolution from regional artist to icon of the New York School.
Afro, Burri, Fontana
D. Cloninger blogs about the exhibition Afro Burri Fontana at Haunch of Venison, New York, on view through April 28, 2012. Cloninger writes that "the gallery sought to create a balanced show that would make evident the original dialogue between the three post-WWII Italian abstract artists and their American contemporaries [de Kooning, Twombly and Rauschenberg]…" […]
Pia Fries: Randmeer
Caleb De Jong reviews the exhibition Pia Fries: Randmeer at CRG Gallery, New York, on view through April 28, 2012. De Jong writes that "Fries visually embeds through her silkscreen technique the 16th century Mannerist prints of Hendrick Goltzius and the Baroque printmaker Stefano della Bella. Mechanically reproduced versions of etched lines interact with viscous […]
Post Impressionist Picture Theory
Emily Nathan reviews the exhibition Snapshot: Painters and Photography, Bonnard to Vuillard, on view at the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. through May 6, 2012. Nathan writes: "while the two mediums have their parallels — Bonnard's nude photos of his model and future wife Marthe are clearly echoed in many of his painted compositions, for instance […]
Frank Bowling: Interview
Painter Frank Bowling discusses his work in a new video filmed in his studio. Bowling remarks: "In my youth I tended to look at the tragic side of human behavior an try and reflect that in my work, but gradually, as I became more involved in the making of paintings, I realized that one of […]
Rackstraw Downes: On Painting
Frank Hobbs transcribes excerpts from a newly posted video on the painter Rackstraw Downes. Hobbs quotes Downes: "When I… started painting from observation, one of the reasons was that I didn’t want to be so damn self-conscious about my paintings… Why not just look at something and paint it the way it is? Plop! And […]
Albert Irvin: In Studio
Sam Cornish visits the London studio of painter Albert Irvin. Cornish notes that "Instead of describing objects (even abstract objects) the elements of [Irvin's] paintings often suggest, to me at any rate, an arrival or a bringing to attention… There is perhaps something theatrical about the way in which Irvin's marks address the viewer, their […]
Gordon Moore: On His Work
Painter Gordon Moore discusses his work and the experience of being a artist.
Tomory Dodge: Interview
Jonathan Beer interviews painter Tomory Dodge about his work and process. Dodge remarks: "I like the formal tension that comes from the inclusion of different approaches to painting on one surface. But I think a lot of that tension comes from my own doubt in the adequacy of any single approach or system of painting. […]
Tom Goldenberg: Bone, Grit & Muscle
Mario Naves blogs about the work of painter Tom Goldenberg. Naves writes that "It's as if Goldenberg found his way back to the land through the examples set by Jackson Pollock and Clyfford Still. Goldenberg knows that influence is contrary and fluid. As a painter, he thrives on its surprising pliability. You'd best look elsewhere […]
Avigdor Arikha: Art of Pain
Jonathan Wilson reviews the exhibition Avigdor Arikha: Works from the Estate at Marlborough Gallery, New York, on view through April 21, 2012. The post also includes an extensive interview with Noga Arikha, the artist's daughter. Wilson writes: "Its tempting to view Arikha’s work as that of a gorgeous throwback, as Michael Kimmelman parsed it a […]
Mira Schor: Interview
Chloe Wyma interviews painter Mira Schor on the occasion of the exhibition Mira Schor: Voice and Speech at Marvelli Gallery, New York, on view through April 28, 2012. Asked about scale in painting Schor replies: "Modest paintings don't necessarily have to be small, and small paintings are not necessarily modest. I'm advocating for a kind […]
Katherine Bradford: Studio Visit
Maria Calandra visits the studio of painter Katherine Bradford. Calandra notes that Bradford's paintings "ask the viewer to let go. They allow for connections to be made between the compelling imagery and space within them freely and without a push from any kind of direct narrative. Like reading a poem that never overtly connotes its […]