Bob Thompson at 52 Walker and Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Bob Thompson’s 1965 painting ‘The Swing’ at 52 Walker resembles Jean-Honore Fragonard’s famous 18th century rendering of a finely dressed young woman on a swing and her lover gazing up at her from below but radically shifts the focus and intent.  In Thompson’s characteristic style, the figures are monochromatic and nude, the eroticism of the female character emphasized by the outline of a breast and the complicity of the two men suggested by their common red color.  The man who controls the swing is no longer hidden by foliage, instead playing a clearer role in the flirtation going on between the other two characters. Likewise, Fragonard’s barely noticeable lake in the background turns into a waterfall, two pink putti are locked in a more ambiguous embrace and the swing’s rope more clearly and menacingly encircles the branches above.  In exhibitions of work from Thompson’s brief career (he died just shy of his 29th birthday in 1966) at 52 Walker and at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, the artist delves into European art history, clarifying some elements of iconic works and making others ambiguous to provocative effect. (On view in Tribeca at 52 Walker through July 8th and in Chelsea at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery through July 7th).

Bob Thompson, The Swing, oil on canvas, 49 x 36 inches, 1965.

Beauford Delaney in ‘It’s Not Your Nature’ at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Trees appear to dance and sway at the center of Beauford Delaney’s gorgeously curvy nature scene from c. 1945. As Fauvist colors turn the park into a riot of color, specifics of place or season feel beside the point. (At Michael Rosenfeld Gallery through Aug 5th).

Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Trees), oil on canvas 29 1/8 x 23 1/8 inches, c. 1945.
Beauford Delaney, Untitled (Trees), oil on canvas 29 1/8 x 23 1/8 inches, c. 1945.

Nancy Grossman at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Constructed from saddles and harnesses given to her by major Ab Exp sculptor David Smith, this striking assemblage by Nancy Grossman from 1965 suggests militaristic aggression and violence enacted on an individual’s body. (At Michael Rosenfeld Gallery through July 3rd.)

Nancy Grossman, For David Smith, mixed media assemblage on canvas mounted on plywood, 85 x 85 x 6 ¾ inches, 1965.

Benny Andrews in ‘Rising Up/Uprising’ at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Born to Georgia sharecroppers, based in New York, the late American painter Benny Andrews used his personal history to address injustice in works like this chilling painted collage of a monstrous hunter and his beastly hound. It’s a standout in the excellent ‘Rising Up/Uprising’ at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, a show commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (In Chelsea through May 3rd).

Benny Andrews, Hunters, 1989, oil on canvas with painted fabric collage and zipper, 72 1/8 x 52 inches.

Sam Gilliam in ‘Beyond the Spectrum: Abstraction in African-American Art, 1950-1975’ at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Color Field painter Sam Gilliam’s unstretched canvas from 1970 is a standout in Michael Rosenfeld Gallery’s current exhibition ‘Beyond the Spectrum: Abstraction in African American Art, 1950-1975’ for taking the space of a painting into the space of the gallery. Like a huge paint rag or a giant apron, this piece from 1970 evokes an object with use-value, hung momentarily on the wall. (In Chelsea through March 8th).

Sam Gilliam, One Thunder, acrylic on unstretched canvas, 70 x 23 x 11 inches, 1970.