Herman Maril ~ David Findlay Jr. Gallery to 26 Nov

Lorrie Goulet ~ David Findlay Jr. Gallery to 26 Nov

Louisa Matthiasdottir ~ Tibor De Nagy Gallery to 3 Dec

Sharon Etgar ~ Davis & Langdale to 26 Nov

Norman Lewis ~ BHG Gallery

The gallery appears to be the first floor and basement of a private residence. But the space, whether by coincidence or not, is very well suited to the tone and dimensions of this work. The latter consists of several diminutive and delicate collages. The work evokes a solid quietude that is in its way reminiscent of American Modernists such as Milton Avery. The comparison is oblique perhaps, but the artist taps into a similar esthetic albeit from a purely abstract place.

Sharon Etgar studied art in Israel and now teaches art there. You see a reference in that each piece includes Hebrew text placed tastefully below the imagery so as not to interfere with it.  That inclusion and placement demonstrates here ability to create work that is at once culturally referential, delicate, beautiful and engaging without sliding into looking ornamental or overly pretty.  The color and structure of the forms keeps the work grounded in a somewhat somber reality.  While the composition is rock solid, the medium of collage works its magic through a range of edges and textures to provide a needed counterpoint. In this way, structure and texture compete with each other to create the correct measure of visual tension from one piece to the next.

Given the nature of the images with their often broad flat forms plus the very small sizes of the work (all are about 11.5 by 8.25 inches) I couldn’t help but wonder how they would function as much larger works. Of course the delicacy would be sacrificed which in large part defines this work.  But given the imagery and composition they also possess innate epic qualities that are held in close check by their dimensions. So, it would be interesting to see how the work might be affected if scaled to a much larger size.

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Sharon Etgar @ Davis, Langdale Co.

Sharon Etgar @ Davis, Langdale Co.

Norman Lewis was an African American artist and an Abstract Expressionist.  This group show featured six of his works and was extended beyond the closing date of 22 October. The gallery is primarily devoted to African American Artists.

One of the most striking paintings by Lewis from this show is called American Totem.  It is unique for its simplicity and stark contrast.  While channeling an authentically American art form – Native American totem poles - Lewis’ treatment suggests something culturally universal with more than a nod toward black experience (based on knowing who the artist is).  The principle form surround by the black ground is, on one hand, spectral and emotionally suggests a monument to sacrifice and struggle.  On the other hand, the painting overall is contemporary but also timeless given the simplicity of the forms and its black and white reductiveness (regardless of whom the artist is).  In this regard (at least with this painting) Lewis shares something with Picasso for revisiting ancient cultural images and imbuing them with a contemporary view.

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Norman Lewis @ BHG Gallery

The Herman Maril show in David Findlay Jr.’s magnificent new space on 5th avenue (just below 57th street) is quite simply a painter’s delight.  Everything in these paintings is laid back and understated in an  American Modernist sort of way.  On face value the work depicts domestic interiors or reductive landscapes. The thread-worn phrase “less is more’ is revitalized by the truth of it expressed in these pieces. Maril applies just the right amount of economy whether to the simplicity of the forms or the quiet intensity of his palette. As a result these paintings seductively draw you in with an unobtrusive lusciousness.

Whether directly or not, there is a kinship in this work to specific artists as diverse as Fairfield Porter (for subject matter and the flatness of forms if not the color), Milton Avery as kindred Modernist soul, and even a whiff of Edward Hopper can be discerned. The primary thread running through this is found in the flat simplicity of his shapes and how color is used to flesh out the forms. You see that particular quality of flatness at work in a painting where a sink by a window, by its perspective, determines the depth of space for the whole piece. But the even application of color and how the paint is democratically applied places all of the forms; the tree outside, the window itself, objects on the wall and even the sink (despite it’s the perspective it suggests) on the same plane.  Objects, light, shadows and distant sky, all have an equal voice in defining the picture plane as well as the scene.

This show presents a nice survey of Maril’s work and the paintings are generously spaced with plenty of gallery wall real estate available to offer a comprehensive view of each. As a body of work it is interesting to note the artist’s varied subject matter and to what extent differences between them are nearly inconsequential. The important thing is that whether a painting depicts an interior or landscape the composition, treatment of space, color and painting handling is consistent but always refreshing.

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Herman Maril @ David Findlay Jr.

Herman Maril @ David Findlay Jr.

Paired in the same gallery space with Herman Maril is a small collection of sculpture by Lorrie Goulet.  The work presented here is all carved stone and the subject matter is characteristically human figures.  One of the intriguing aspects of this work is way in which Goulet seamlessly combines a classic esthetic with a more modern one. The classic connection , at least for the pieces presented here, channels Pre-Columbian art. The Modernist aspect suggests at least a tenuous relationship with Cubism. Part of the beauty of this work, in addition to the materials and how they are formed, is in the combination and subtlety of these oblique references. They serve to enhance the personal expression that Goulet brings to her art.

Another unique side of these sculptures is that for rather small works they nevertheless project a monumental quality. It might otherwise be interesting to see these pieces made larger but the urge doesn’t apply here. The forms, the materials and the dimensions complete this work without compromising their epic projections.

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Lorrie Goulet @ David Findlay Jr.

This exhibition presents an excellent mini-survey of this Icelandic artist’s paintings.  At one point she studied with Hans Hofmann and was affiliated with the Abstract Expressionists.  But eventually Matthiasdottir found her own oeuvre when the work solidified into the stark simplified and colorful style exhibited here - for which she is best known. These paintings break down into 2 categories of landscape, those referencing the stark landscapes of the artist’s native country and those indicating vistas outside of Iceland as indicated with the inclusion of foliage. My preference is for the former because they are more interesting in that the subject matter speaks to the authenticity of the artist’s cultural background both in depiction and imagination.

Begin with the rendering of the forms, the flattening of space, the bright colors and then what initially appears to be conventional subject matter. The combination results in highly expressive, reductive paintings with undertones of Surrealism. Although depicting or suggesting actual places the images also conjure landscapes of the imagination. Look, for example, at a painting of a village with its flat planes of bright color and chiaroscuro shadows. From a certain perspective it is possessed of a poetic realism given the exotic place sourcing the image. Another image places a sheep in the foreground, a bright pink house in the middle ground, purplish-blue mountains and finally an ochre sky that looks perfectly natural within the context of this painting. This piece is at once a simple agrarian scene, a Modernist work of abstraction and a lush, colorful work of otherworldly visual lyricism.

Matthiasdottir’s paintings are deceptively unassuming due to their minimalism. But now look at how the space is carved out within each composition. Perspective is determined almost entirely by the size and placement of the forms and how they are painted. Nearly everything in these paintings serves a dual purpose between constructing the rudimentary subject matter and simultaneously orchestrating everything else to a totality beyond the combination of elements. Best of all is how the latter challenges the viewer’s imagination and creativity – something all great painting does.

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Louisa Matthiasdottir @ Tibor De Nagy Gallery

Louisa Matthiasdottir @ Tibor De Nagy Gallery

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