Report from the Front

Art criticism, sometimes with context, occasional politics. Published in hard copy 5-7 times a year. New shows: "events;" hard-copy rates & how to support the online edition: "works."

ABSTRACT REPRESENTATIONAL

April 28, 2014

Tags: Cara London

Cara London. Lazy Dog. 2014. Monotype, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.
Continuing my forays into territories that I couldn’t deal with in cold weather, I went to Flemington, New Jersey, to see a show at SOMI Fine Art, a co-operative gallery housed in a former pottery factory. It currently has six artist-partners, and all have at least some work on view all of the time. (more…)

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IMMORTALITY OF SPRING

April 21, 2014

Noah, from the Ancestors of Christ Windows, Canterbury Cathedral, England, 1178–80, colored glass and vitreous paint; lead came Image © Robert Greshoff Photography, courtesy Dean and Chapter of Canterbury
Easter Saturday was glorious in the Big Apple, sunny & in the 70s. It reminded me that the annual rebirth of a dead god is (and was) a feature of many religions, not only the Christian. The deity has been named Attis, Adonis, Osiris, Dionysius, Persephone & Tammuz (Ishtar’s mate), but what matters more is that--zombie-like (more…)

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FROM THICK TO THIN, ETC.

April 14, 2014

Tags: Jean Fautrier, Zhu Jinshi, Scott Williams, Chuck Thomas, Peter Reginato, Anthony Caro

Peter Reginato. WTF. 2011. Stainless steel and enamel, 47 x 48 x 35 in. Photo courtesy the artist.
In my last posting, I mentioned that Jean Fautrier was in “Thick Paint,” a three-man show uptown. Never having seen Fautrier’s work first-hand, I got there—as well as to two other galleries, with work by Scott Williams, Chuck Thomas, and Peter Reginato. Finally,capsule coverage of three monster shows staged in the first week of March. (more…)

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BLOSSOMING (PART TWO)

April 7, 2014

Tags: Alexander Iolas, Les Lalanne, Jules Olitski

Jules Olitski, Escorial Mystery, 1991. Acrylic on canvas, 68 1/2 x 60 inches (174 x 152 cm), (c)Estate of Jules Olitski/Licensed by VAGA, New York NY.
At Paul Kasmin in Chelsea, two shows are blooming. The first, at 293 Tenth Avenue, is “Alexander the Great: The Iolas Gallery 1955-1987,” and the second, at 515 West 27th Street, is “Jules Olitski: Mitt Paintings” (both through April 19). There’s a connection between the two, though at first it may be hard to fathom, given the apparent differences between the two. (more…)

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BLOSSOMING (PART ONE)

April 1, 2014

Tags: Helen Frankenthaler, Dan Christensen, Kenneth Noland

Dan Christensen (1942-2007). "O," 1968. Acrylic on canvas, 108 x 144 inches. Photo courtesy Spanierman Modern.
Spring may be late this year, but indoors in Manhattan, modernism is blossoming. Besides the recent shows of Poons and Bannard, we now have those of Helen Frankenthaler, Dan Christensen, & Kenneth Noland. The show of Jules Olitski at Paul Kasmin piggy-backs on another Kasmin show, so I’ll discuss it in a separate posting. (more…)

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