Melissa Meyer at Lennon Weinberg ~ October 2011

Al Peters at Leigh Wen ~ October 2011

Antonio Carreno at Messineo Art Projects ~ October 2011

It has been awhile since I’ve reviewed Melissa Meyer’s paintings (about 7 years ago in another Chelsea gallery).  At the time I was more taken with her watercolors then with her oil paintings in that the latter lacked the dynamic vibrant quality of the watercolors.  The oils seemed a bit mired in an opaque handling of the medium. Nevertheless I was particularly impressed by her masterful handling of the watercolors – in my opinion the most difficult, unforgiving and existential of the painting mediums. Many moons later Meyer has successfully made the transition from paper to canvas to preserve the energy of the watercolors.

Other aspects have shifted too. Skeins of gesture, a signature of her imagery, remain but with a pleasing range of density.  The line quality in some paintings thickens to complete a shift from line to form while also defining figure and/or ground. This leads directly into a reconsideration of spatial dimension in which perspective is implied rather than defined given the size of the forms or whether the borders comprise lines or full bodied forms. Perception of deeper space behind the screen of forms has always been another part of Meyer’s work but in these paintings is seen with a new complexity and maturity.

Another thing that remains constant in her work is a wonderful luminescent quality. The dark linear forms surrounding the brighter solid forms suggest the essence of stained glass in some pieces. Implicit within such a view is the notion of ‘contained’ gesture.  On one hand the forms and that squiggle of lines are wildly dynamic as supported by the color. But they are held in place by the roughly even handed proportions and composition. Go too far one way and the chaos could overwhelm; go too far the other way and the grid dominates.  From one painting to the next the Melissa Meyer achieves an exquisite balance that looks fresh and unselfconscious each time

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Melissa Meyer @ Lennon, Weinberg

Melissa Meyer @ Lennon, Weinberg

These paintings are shown in a curious space in that the gallery doubles as Leigh Wen’s studio when art is not shown. You wouldn’t know it by how pristine and professional the space is but the idea is really wonderful. Given the obsession with markets and commodities in this country in general and within the Art World in particular there is something wholesome and refreshing about an artist occasionally turning their space over to other artists for exhibitions.

Currently taking away from Leigh Wen’s studio time is an exhibition of paintings by Al Peter’s which dominate the space due in large part to their garish and intensely sweet colors - at least this is the impression at first glance.  A second look reveals that although the color is bright in all the work, some paintings allow gray tones to slip in; albeit still keeping well enough away from any sort of even middle gray.  Even so the color puts a huge demand on the senses in part because there is just a bit too much work in the show.  These paintings either need more gallery wall real estate around them to be fully seen and appreciated or there needs to be less in number.

Another surprising (and pleasing) aspect of these paintings is the manner in which they are painted.  To begin with, Peters employs graphics techniques and qualities to the painting medium. For example he often creates repeated forms using different colors. This might otherwise cause them to read as large monoprints but the artist combines a rich array of paint handling to counter such a notion. Structurally he composes his forms with a nod to the design precision of the grid. But again the latter is kept in check given the variety of the forms, their various dimensions and color treatment and a balanced inclusion of linear elements.

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Al Peters @ Leigh Wen Fine Art

Al Peters @ Leigh Wen Fine Art

The first thing to hit me when I entered this diminutive gallery space was the juxtaposition and presence of these large paintings and the way in which they dominate the room. The contrast is all the more interesting in that this particular context allows you to especially appreciate their more atmospheric qualities.  Additionally, with such constraints limiting the distance at which you might view them plus each painting competing for your attention forces you to deal with them on a more intimate level. Of course distance and context always affect perception but here, what in a larger space may have suggested an epic sensibility actually creates the opposite sensation. This has every bit as much to do with how these works are painted as it does with the space in which they are shown.

Antoinio Carreno is clearly enthralled with classic Abstract Expressionism leaning quite obviously toward the atmospheric end of that spectrum. If not with forms then with painting handling there is at least an oblique reference to artists such as Rothko and De Kooning in this work. But something a bit more subtle is suggested here too; a nod to J.M.W Turner’s loosely defined landscapes from well over a century ago. Look at the atmospheric perspective, the color choices and the suggestion of landscape in each of them. But notice also the quality of glowing light.

For some reason Carreno has also included a series of geometric black lines which seem oddly incongruous with the overt painterly forms. I’m not sure why they were added (perhaps to add more structure to those roughly defined forms?) and I’m also not sure they are required. The compositions would hold up just fine without them. Still the subtlety of their presence saves them from becoming distractions.

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Antonio Carreno @ Messineo Art Projects

Antonio Carreno @ Messineo Art Projects

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