Structure and Imagery

Menschenlicht , 1965 Gelb zwischen zwei Zeiten , 1965 Verschlossene Gedanken , 1965 Rot in Rot II , 1965 "Life is a compromise, art never is." -Ernst Wilhelm Nay Rot in Rot I , 1965 Press Release: Michael Werner and Mary Boone Galleries are pleased to announce their collaborative exhibition surveying the work of German artist Ernst Wilhelm Nay (1902-1968). The most important German painter during the first half of the twentieth century, Nay is all but unknown outside of Europe today. Presented simultaneously in three Manhattan galleries, this special exhibition is the first significant presentation of Nay’s work in the United States since his death and offers a rare opportunity to consider the work of this unique artist.  The exhibitions at Michael Werner and Mary Boone Galleries focus on Nay’s works of the 1950s and 1960s – the period when Nay fully embraced color and abstraction in his work. The trajectory of his developmen...

Double Cross , 2012, colored pencil on paper, 8 x 8 in. Mi O Minus , 2012, oil on panel, 14 x 14 in. Mono Para , 2012, oil on panel, 14 x 14 in. Orange Realigned , 2012, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in. From the press release: Rob de Oude makes straight lines bend. He achieves this perceptual effect through a rigorous and meticulous painting process, layering and weaving matrices of straight lines until, between the contrasting colors and crisscrossing patterns, grids begin to bow and warp. This visual slight, a more painterly and maximalist type of Op art, tricks the eye through sheer ocular overload. In an age of unabated visional stimulation, these super-imposed networks speak of digital delirium, increased connectivity between disparate points and, perhaps most crucially, unbridled visual pleasure. Much like a web — whether of fiber-optic cables or spider-spun silk — de Oude’s compositions have a seductive power that’s difficult to escape. Indee...

Stop Go - Go Stop , oil on linen, other information unavailable Untitled (Grey and Ochre) , 1977, oil on linen 72 x 54 in. It's About Time , 1991, oil on linen 64 x 44 in. Felrath Hines Working primarily in an abstract manner from the mid-1950s forward, Hines created a body of work of extraordinary quality and originality. His abstractions synthesized a keen sensibility of an accomplished draughtsman with the poetry and inventive structure that linked his work to the American abstract tradition of Stuart Davis, Al Held, Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. Hines did not see abstract art as too personal, or too introspective, or too esoteric.  For him making art, crafting compositions that had the characteristics of complex 20th century modernist works occupied him totally.  He was committed to painting as a professional occupation. From the mid-1950s forward, Hines produced a large body of abstract work.   Paintings such as  Ch...

Henri Michaux, 1961, Untitled (detail), chinese ink drawing on paper And white appears. Absolute white. White beyond all whiteness. White of the coming of the White. White without compromise, through exclusion, through total eradication of non-white. Insane, enraged white, screaming with whiteness. Fanatical, furious, riddling the retina. Horrible electric white, implacable, murderous. White in bursts of   white. - Henri Michaux , "With Mescaline", 1956

Installation view of work by Chris Harding Installation view of works by James Prez  Drawings by Brett Baker Paul D'Agostino Participating artist James Prez with Kerry Law and Katey Chapman Sunday, October 14, curator, Julie Torres hosted a closing brunch for participating artists and visitors on the final day of the group exhibition Heroes . The show was held at Small Black Door in Ridgewood, Queens and featured work by: Liz Atzberger, John Avelutto, Brett Baker, Paul Behnke, Deborah Brown, Sharon Butler, Kevin Curran, Joy Curtis, Paul D'Agostino, Rob de Oude, Lacey Fekishazy, Enrico Gomez, Chris Harding, Katarina Hybenova, Lars Kremer, Ellen Letcher, Amy Lincoln, Loren Munk, Matthew Mahler, Mike Olin, James Prez, Kevin Regan, Jonathan Terranova, and Austin Thomas. For an informative walk through of the exhibition check out the video at James Kalm Report's Rough Cut here . Kate Wadkins discuses the work on view with participating...