Early in his ninth decade, iconic painter Alex Katz commented that he was streamlining his schedule to channel his efforts into painting. The energy expressed by the huge, vividly colored paintings in his solo show at Gladstone Gallery suggests that the strategy continues to be effective at age 98. Ten-foot-tall paintings feature patterns of dappled light expressed in orange paint on white canvas – a recreation of the optical effects of moving from bright sun outdoors into a darkened interior. Accompanied by a video by Matthew Barney of Katz alone in his studio climbing a ladder, painting or standing in contemplation, the show demonstrates Katz’s vigor and his appreciation of the possibility of intense visual experience in the natural world. (On view through Dec 20th).
