Five years / that�s all we�ve got�
Five years / my brain hurts a lot�
           -David Bowie, Five Years, Ziggy Stardust album

Five years represents a good run for television sit-coms, rock bands and well, Indy art journals.  Abstract Art Online was born five years ago this month which marks the 62nd issue; each of which has included an Artist Profile and Forum piece.  In this period of time we have also published approximately 280 reviews which have included several full color reproductions.  One of the best features of the journal was the inclusion of the Conversation series in which I met with artists, critics and gallery owners to discuss a variety of topics within the context of abstract art.

The weekly traffic for AbArtOnline has grown from about a modest 100 visits in the beginning to over 900 currently.  One of the more satisfying aspects of our current stature is found by initiating a Google search on �Abstract Art� and having Abartonline.com come up consistently within the top 15 sites out of nearly three quarter of a million search results.

In light of this milestone it�s worth revisiting an excerpt from our mission statement published in the first issue of Abstract Art Online as a Forum piece:

�This Website was created to function as a combination of an online art publication, virtual art gallery and forum for presenting and exchanging ideas, thoughts and opinions about art and art-related issues. As our name suggests our focus is on abstract art ranging from minimalism to AbX to the blurred borders between figuration and abstraction to most anything in between. The real estate we will cover is primarily (though not exclusively) New York City.�

In part, Abstract Art Online is intended to give attention to non-affiliated artists and lesser-known galleries showing abstract art. Having said that, it must also be pointed out that while we intend to

expose the less exposed, our prime directive is go where the art is; from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to an individual artist�s studio.

Naturally what gets presented here is subject to the opinions of the editors. But art is not a democracy and to give equal exposure to everything would only serve to elevate mediocrity as an ideal. Our point is that while the rigid commercial gallery structure is typically not driven by a search for excellence, we are. Again, this is determined by our own definition of excellence which leaves us free to function in and outside the gallery structure.�

For the most part we have managed to adhere to the principles laid out in this statement. The range of art presented here has indeed included austere Mininmalist work, classic New York School abstraction, a variety of grid painting, borderline figurative and yes, several varieties in and around these categories.  Examples of the latter include recent reviews of Donald Judd & Joseph Albers, Denise Gale, Robert Stuart and William Clutz.  In the process we, the Editors, have received quite a valuable education in looking at and thinking about art.  Along the way we�ve had the expressed pleasure of meeting numerous artists, gallery owners and other critics. The more tangible side of this has been opportunities to curate an online exhibition (at the Painting Center), write exhibition catalog introductions and moderate artist panels.

Overall it has been a helluva lot of fun but even more so, a helluva lot of work.  A case in point is the New York Views column which alone takes approximately 8 hours to produce.  This includes gathering content (visiting galleries and photographing the work), reformatting & color adjusting the images, writing & editing the reviews, page layouts, final vetting for corrections and, publishing to the web.  Needless to say, the month in-month out work of producing a full publication that also includes a fresh Artist Profile

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