In notes from his journal Myron Stout declared that as an abstract painter it was crucial that he maintain a connection with nature.  At first glance you may wonder where that connection is found in this body of work.  Some of the forms in these diminutive paintings suggest more of an urban concept of landscape.  While this may be true there is a connection to nature in the way the artist has boiled down the imagery and color to subjectively reveal its essence.  This is not the sort of thing that is readily apparent and as with any truly

Myron Stout, Untitled, 1951, oil on canvasboard, 20 x 16 in

engaging art these pieces require time before they reveal themselves.  In their interlocking forms you can sense a micro view at the cellular level of as well as a reductive suggestion of a forest.  A counter to their urban reading is the way in which a grid a suggested but where the lines are askew or suggest a single point perspective viewed from above as in the Untitled from circa 1950.  One other aspect Stout picks up on is a sense of rhythm which, along with color, establishes a counterpoint to their otherwise severely reductive qualities.

Myron Stout, Untitled, c. 1950, oil on canvasboard, 20 x 16 in

Myron Stout, Untitled, 1950, oil on canvasboard, 20 x 16 in