 |
|
|
|
Bill Jensen at Mary Boone, 745 5th Ave
to April 26th |
|
|
Bill Jensen�s last show with Mary Boone (in her Chelsea space) was reviewed on these pages about two years ago. The most significant change in the work since then is a shift in color. Some of the gothic moodiness of the older work remains but Jensen has turned up the intensity of his palette. The hues are much brighter and, as evidenced in a painting like Locus, in greater quantity. But this needs to be understood as relative to the artist�s other work. Though brighter, the color still tends to sink back into the canvas and to remain a bit understated. This is due to Jensen�s paint handling and the resulting surfaces. The color is driven by the act of painting, by the carefully built layers of paint. For this reason brighter hues mix in naturally with those less so because both are woven of the same esthetic. |
|
|
|
Having said that, Jensen has not abandoned his earlier color schema but rather expanded upon it. A painting such as The Day After not only recalls work from his last exhibition but serves as a bridge to it. Despite the subdued tones represented, this is a very colorful painting. Look at the large pinkish area that makes up the lower portion of the painting and is pushed into the foreground. Several colors are softly layered to create what might seem to be an ephemeral area. Then you notice the deeper blue lines that appear to dominate the upper portion but are absorbed into the pinkish form. Deep back ground space is established by the yellowish, black and white areas. Jensen orchestrates all of this magnificently in his even application of color, surface and forms. The Day After is arguably a more natural and subtle extension of Jensen�s sensibility. Although it is vastly different from Locus, particularly as to color, you recognize that both paintings belong to same family. |
|
|
|
With this exhibition, Jensen has extended the entire range of his work and, as with his last show, it is clear that you will never accuse this artist of serialism. On the other hand, the work is also not wildly chaotic even as it pushes the esthetic pretty hard. Jensen has managed over the years to fearlessly carve out a well-defined, true sense of |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bill Jensen, 2002-2003, Locus,
oil on linen, 39 x 32 in |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bill Jensen, The Day After, 2002-2003,
oil on linen, 44 x 32 in |
|
|
|
style for himself. The new work, if not shocking, may be a bit surprising. A painting like Nüwa and Fuxi I, is typical of the surprises in this show. It may seem to be about bright hues; but given further consideration it is almost reductive in its application of color. Essentially comprised of three |
|
|
|
Next Page |
|
|
