Structure and Imagery

Jason Karolak @ McKenzie Fine Art Inc. (detail) Jason Karolak Feburary 8 - March 17, 2013 McKenzie Fine Art Inc. 55 Orchard Street New York, NY 10002 Paul D'Agostino @ Pocket Utopia Paul D'Agostino : Twilit Ensembles March 3 - April 21, 2013 Pocket Utopia 191 Henry Street New York, NY 10002 Tectonic Drift @ Brian Morris Gallery Russell Tyler Gary Petersen Brian Cypher Gallery Director, Brian Morris w/ work by Amanda Church and Brian Cypher Brian Cypher Stacy Fisher Amanda Church Gary Petersen Amanda Church Russell Tyler Tectonic Drift February 13 - March 16, 2013 Brian Morris Gallery 163 Chrystie Street New York, NY 10002 Judith Braun @ Joe Sheftel Gallery Judith Braun : May I Draw March 3 - April 21, 2013 Joe Sheftel Gallery 24A Orchard Street New York, NY 10002 ...

The current Al Held exhibit, at Cheim & Read, Alphabet Paintings , has been getting a lot of coverage and is, understandably, a favorite among painters. In this post I wanted to focus on an aspect of the work that was particularly meaningful to me - the edges of the canvas where they wrap around the stretchers. These random details are important to me for a couple of reasons. First of all, the haphazard smudges and smears emphasize the painterliness of these humongous works.  This was my first look at these paintings "in the flesh" and I was surprised at the extent to which the artist's hand was evident.  The sides of the canvas, along with brush marks, and the often thick, clotted, and revised surfaces force the paintings to inhabit a no - man's land between minimal, hard edged, conceptually driven work and a more improvazational approach most often associated with the New York School that brings process to the fore. Secondly, the marked up edges...

From the Press Release: Gutai Spirit Forever  emphasizes the continuous commitment of the artist to both the philosophical and ethical statements of the Gutai group. The exhibition consists of two parts:  Part 1: Works from 1964 to 1976 , which will be on view from February 7th to March 16th, 2013 and  Part 2: Works from 1977 to 2013 , running from March 21st through April 20th, 2013. Born in Osaka in 1937, Matsutani began his artistic exploration in 1956 with  Nihonga , a traditional Japanese painting genre. His paintings soon veered away from this time honored style, as his subject matter became more abstract.  Matsutani began experimenting with vinyl wood glue, which allowed the introduction of the third dimension into his paintings. In 1960, Matsutani participated in his first exhibition with the Gutai group in the Pinacotheca Gutai. He had become a member and was exhibited regularly until the dissolution of the group in 19...