Charline von Heyl at Petzel Gallery

An ominous cloud of fleshy tones and dark lines conjures hidden images (birds? an angular face?) as it hovers over an old-fashioned telephone in Charline von Heyl’s ‘Dial M for Painting.’  Like Hitchcock’s ‘Dial M for Murder,’ intrigue and tension dominate; a hastily drawn telephone leads us in to the drama while the floating mass above gives pause for thought, all against a screaming yellow background.  (On view at Petzel Gallery in Chelsea through Oct 20th).

Charline von Heyl, Dial P for Painting, acrylic and oil on linen, 60 x 50 inches, 2017.