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William Scott at Denise Bibro Fine Art, 529
West 20th Street to June 5th |
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William Scott is one of those artists from the New York School generation that are lesser known then luminaries such as Pollock and Rothko whom Scott met in 1953 and subsequently became friends with. Nevertheless, Scott has an impressive exhibition resume that includes associations with the Martha Jackson and Andre Emmerich Galleries, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Guggenheim Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Scott�s last exhibition was in 2001 at The New Tate Modern in London where a room was devoted to his work for a year. |
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A large part of his tangential relationship to the New York School can be explained by his background. According to the gallery press |
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William Scott, (Installation View) (image - copyright 2004, Denise Bibro Gallery) |
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release, he was born in Scotland, brought up in Northern Ireland and played an important role in British art during the post-war decades. But another part of this is found in his paintings which hearken, to some degree, to American abstraction just prior to Abstract Expressionism. Compare Scott�s paintings to Milton Avery�s art, for example. Both artists offer a gentle lyricism with color relationships that are primarily temperate. Both establish a personal visual language that is at once familiar while also provide a unique view of the world. Where they differ is that Scott abandons direct figurative references and so represents (knowingly or not) somewhat of a bridge between the artists of Avery�s generation and the New York School. |
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William Scott, Composition III, 1954, oil on canvas, 34 x 41 in (image - copyright 2004, Denise Bibro Gallery) |
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This exhibition represents paintings by Scott from the 1950s to the 1970s. What is interesting about this range is that there are no major changes in his work over this span. Scott remains relatively consistent in his approach to forms and paint handling. This is no criticism but rather recognition of true style. Scott carved out a personal sensibility for himself and ran with it quite effectively for a long time. Compare Composition III from 1954 with Still Life Painting from 1974. Both of these pieces easily co-exist in that neither dates the other. Composition III is more painterly and loose as to defining forms. Still Life Painting tightens up the paint handling |
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William Scott, Still Life Painting, 1974, oil on canvas, 63 x 67 in (image - copyright 2004, Denise Bibro Gallery) |
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