Gray Matters 1

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on June 22, 2017 at 8:17am

Curator’s Comments: 

 

Gray Matters (1) caught my interest in a thumbnail, and keeps it with longer viewing.  The dynamically unfolding forms hold together as an abstract organic entity in a faint landscape. (The reference to a tree line along a horizon in the upper right half of the diptych is an interesting spatial contrast, as opposed to the flat color panels on the left half.)  The title suggests cerebral activity unfolding, but I can’t help seeing the actual shapes as sharing contours with a human brain.  The two opposing halves beautifully echo each other in gestural and inward tilting of the ribbon like shapes along the bottom; as if a form was cleaved open to reveal asymmetric variances.  The contrasting dark values for me offer visual interest formally, but also inject a sense of mystery into the depth and function of the subject matter. It’s as if its spiraling in on itself, pulling the viewer into the environment. The large physical scale of the actual painting no doubt adds to the drama of the rich gestural expression.