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Graciela Iturbide February 6th Does this work constitute abstraction or figuration? The answer is an irrefutable, yes. Certainly these stunning photographs consist of representational descriptions. The subject matter is primarily birds, which serves as the exhibition�s title (Pajaros in Spanish) and also references the series from which these photographs were taken. Despite such recognizable imagery what is absent is a clear and direct visual narrative. Rather, they transcend mere portrayal reaching for a quality that is poetic and lyrical. If the subject matter focuses on birds and animals, the content is the crushingly intangible loneliness of nature as seen in Lost Dogs or nature�s more vibrant aspects as evidenced in Bull and Birds. Mood is informed by the medium, particularly given the lack of color, but Iturbide achieves a high level of drama with her rich arrays of blacks and whites. Now enter the abstraction. To begin with, these photographs are as solidly composed as any abstract painting. Look again at Lost Dogs for its reductive qualities. The proportionally off-balance division between land and sky carves up the picture plane with the birds and dogs punctuating the larger forms. There is just enough texture in the sky and jutting rock to keep the piece from becoming too graphically austere. Yet the flat separation is sufficient to create an interesting ambiguity that leaves you wondering whether you are looking at forms or objects. In a completely other direction, Night Sky With Birds references the grid; albeit obliquely. It begins with another simple division of land and sky where the horizon is embroidered by a fiery line of distant lights. The birds of the title are out of focus due to motion but also by design one suspects. From an abstract perspective and within the flatten imagery of the earth and sky they function as x and y coordinates on the (flat) picture plane. Iturbide is masterful in her combined application of texture and composition. You see it repeatedly throughout the work sometimes energetically congested, at other times subtly minimal and always with recognizable imagery. All of which takes us back to the figuration versus abstraction conundrum posed above. Iturbide neatly sidesteps any sort of either/or condition for her work. Some pieces are more straightforward depictions of natural scenes while others are more assertively abstract. Yet others work the territory in between. But neither aspect is totally abandoned in any one piece. The picture, Toledo�s Hand With Bird X-Ray is one of the best examples of the artist successfully riding both rails. At first its not clear what this picture is about. The black-framed fluorescent backlighting is set ajar within the confines of the rectangular picture plane and the hand and the bird in front of it are almost completely black. Together they construct this beautiful near completely non-referential form that fits itself perfectly into the inverse �L� shaped space of white in the background. The X-Ray of the bird in the lower left serves to help create the inverse �L� while at the same time the negative image acknowledges and compliments the bird/hand form. This piece is rife with many interesting ideas and juxtapositions. One on hand it is an engaging presentation of nearly pure nonrepresentational forms. The severe contrast of the black and white chops tightly defines the composition to allow an abstract reading. On the hand, you readily recognize the imagery for what it is; a hand holding a bird in front of a fluorescent light holding an X-Ray that is again, elegantly composed. A third aspect offers a conceptual reading of the imagery: a picture of a bird in relation to an actual bird on an actual hand that is nevertheless depicted in a photograph. All three aspects are choreographed so magnificently in this one compelling picture that not one dominates. Throughout Graciela Iturbide�s photographs layers of imagery and meaning constantly relate and react to each other. In the end, it is impossible to settle on a single interpretation of what these photographs are about whether individually or as a body of work. Their meanings are as fluid as time and similarly though measured by words cannot be contained by language. February 6th If these diminutive abstract paintings were literature they would represent a collection of short stories reminiscent perhaps, of Raymond Carver. They possess a similar dashed-off bittersweet quality that is at once humorous with a hint of the tragic. All the work measures approximately 9 X 9 inches square and is appropriately provided single word titles. �Immediacy� is one word that comes to mind when reaching for a shorthand description of this work. Within the gallery they dot the walls and are nearly overwhelmed by the space. But due to their proportions Schiowitz forces you to move in for a closer look to really see them for what they are. What does that closer look reveal? Begin with the paint handling which is by turns tough and gentle; sometimes within a single work. To wit, consider Hatch where the tangle of thick dark lines in the center dominates the piece. There is a sense of deeper though inaccessible sense of space behind those lines that is reminiscent of bars on a prison window. Surrounding the central action is a frame of gently textured yellow-green that is constructed of multiple subtle shades of both hues. Now look again (in the detail) at the dark lines and noticed how the space within them is defined through the color, contrast and paint handling. All the while the painting has the feeling of being thrown together quickly like a casual yet delicious meal comprised of whatever happened to be in the kitchen. The thing is that Schiowitz does not repeat herself as to imagery and treatment. Yes the format is the same and the color range is primarily solemn. But look at the differences between the paintings; for example, the lively presentation of Cascade and Quatrain as compared to the more stationary rendering of Bleed and Warp. A whole host of possibilities for interpretation is raised by these paintings - both in individual pieces and as a comprehensive body of work. Considering the imagery, color and dimensions of this work one artist they recall is Tom Nozkowski. But Schiowitz exceeds one of Nozkowski�s agendas for his work in making paintings that are even more portable and affordable. Something else shared by both artists is the understated and underlying sense of humor present in this work in the face of such �serious� color. This manifests itself in a sort of captivating dead-pan plainness. At first you may be tempted to not take these paintings seriously. But give them just a bit of time and they begin to draw you into their complex little worlds. It is this that serves as at least one portal to their meaning - simplicity and playfulness as the initial draw combined with a painterly treatment that is at once engaging and as solid as earth. From there the world opens up. February 6th This exhibition of drawings ranges from the mid 80s to the early 90s. All of the work is comprised of pencil and charcoal on paper. The smaller pieces are framed but what really grabs your attention and otherwise dominates this show is the larger work. All horizontal, they measure approximately 5 x 6 feet and are stapled directly to the wall. In itself this presents an interesting juxtaposition. Charcoal drawings are typically informal sketches, studies or, particular to this treatment, gesture drawings. But these pieces are presented as fully developed works of art and it is the large proportions that drive that notion. The subject matter appears, at face value, to reference some sort of industrial design drawing. For example, look at Drawing Number 164 with its rendered circles and geometric shapes. But such references are fleeting. What the artist really seems after is taking an abstract notion of volumetric space combined with dynamic gesture and writing it large; at least for the mammoth pieces. It is interesting to compare the latter with the smaller framed pieces, which do look like studies for larger work (though not for the big drawings). Beyond the proportional comparisons the large pieces are appropriately sized to create virtual atmospheres of gestural line and the accompanying defined space. The dimensions of the smaller drawings plus the confines of the frame and glass prevent them from offering the same effect. What is implied here is a division between viewing drawings as �objects� or as �an experience�. In other words the framed work assumes the aura of �Art�; that is, objects d�art whereas those drawings stapled to the wall are simply, �art�. So what is Baschang trying to say here besides distinguishing between upper and lower case distinctions of art? For one thing these pieces play with the opposing concepts of reductivism and excess. The former concept may be difficult to grasp but it is primarily found in the medium - the drawing materials are simple and there is a lack of color. The forms too are stripped down in number and to essentials particularly in the way they break up the picture plane. Now, from the excessive side the lines are sensuous and plentiful - enough so that they create rich gesticulating clusters of motion. Although color is absent there is a rich and subtle presentation of contrasts. Space is defined by the mad tangle of lines but it is indeterminate, dynamic and creates a great deal of spatial depth. To sum up: Baschang�s Yin of wild gesture is in perfect synch with his Yang of restricted color and abbreviated collection of shapes. The good news in this is that he does not simple rely on scale alone to achieve impact for these drawings. February 10th Here�s the first thing about these paintings: they initially appear to be glowing like some sort of mutant oversized radioactive crystals or alien life forms. This particular light emanates from the cadmium reds and electric thalo blues set within the medium and darker grays. At the same time they possess an esthetic that almost (though not quite) suggests Caribbean culture or the jungles of South America. It would be interesting to compare this work to the paintings of Joan Thorn an artist with a similar sensibility. These paintings refuse to sit quietly on the walls. Rather, like a 40s pulp detective novel extracting information from a thug, they reach out, grab you by the lapels and smack you a couple of times across the eyeballs to get your attention. The raw animal energy they project is almost too much to handle. Here�s the second thing: the visual space within this work is cramped and claustrophobic. As a result the forms look as though they are entwined in a writhing animation which is also owes something to the color combinations. Evans states that he is aiming to create a quality of volumetric space and he certainly achieves it. As a result these paintings take on a strong sculptural reading that in some ways relates to John Chamberlain�s AbX sculptures made of crushed auto parts. There is a similar slammed-together quality at play here that creates an overwhelming, nearly impenetrable density. In and of themselves some individual forms offer visual depth; but the forms are mostly opaque and project a strong sense of 3 dimensionality. In a statement on his work, Evans stresses the importance of relationship in his work, of �the parts to each other and to the whole�. He further quotes the physicist Lee Smolin who said, �I believe that the main lesson of relativity and quantum theory is that the world is nothing but an evolving network of relationships.� For Evans� relationships are one of primary areas of focus for his defining his content. However, though those relationships are intensely energetic as contained within each piece, from the perspective of relationships from painting to painting the variation falls off. The same level of intensity is present in all the work along with the similar proportions of forms and quality of the hues. Given the artist�s premise of focusing on associations more dissimilarity is wanted from one piece to the next. |
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