into their spaces where the only reference points are the two blips of paint in the former and a single red vertical strip in the latter. Besides offering a perspective of wide open space, Steir makes a
Pat Steir, Winter Sky, 2000-02, oil on canvas 126 x 108 in
conceptual statement about human loneliness within nature that is at once specific and global. As works of art they represent her personal vision, yet also speak to universal human experience.
Little Ghost Going,2001, oil on canvas, 96 x 96 in
It is interesting to note the artist�s progress over the span of the past ten years. Middle Lhamo Waterfall is the one piece (of the work included here) that fairly bursts with color. On one hand it suggests a brushstroke exploding into flames. The effect is at once surreal and shocking like the eruption of a volcano. On the other, it can be read as a treatment of the waterfall referenced in the title. Either way the color is more than intense, it is obscene in its mad brightness against the muted bluish background. But as these paintings evolve, you see how Steir slowly scales back the color along with the forms and surface. As a result the paintings start out with bright fanciful colors
Middle Lhamo Waterfall, 1992, oil on canvas, 115 x 90 1/2 in
and otherworldly surfaces that imply a fantasy esthetic. But eventually they arrive at a reductive austerity. And yet, just how ascetic is it? A closer look at the surfaces reveals a rich fabric of subtle patterns and colors. This provides an un- dulating, indeterminate backdrop for the reductive bits of gesture splattered in the foreground.
