Tag: flora

James Rosenquist at Ross and Kramer Gallery

Inspired by the palm fronds in his Florida garden and other plant life, James Rosenquist juxtaposed lips and flesh (visible in glimpses as abstract, cut out forms) with blossoming pink peonies in this ‘Flower’ series painting at Ross and Kramer.  The connection between women and nature is age-old, but the discomfort conveyed by fragmentary views of female faces is fresh and stops viewers from an easy consumption of beauty.  (On view in Chelsea through March 27th. Masks and social distancing are required).

James Rosenquist, Incarnation Incantations, oil on canvas mounted on board, 81 x 62 inches, 1989.

Marti Cormand in ‘Flora/Fauna’ at Josee Bienvenu Gallery

Marti Cormand’s last solo show at Chelsea’s Josee Bienvenu Gallery involved meticulously painting replicas of rediscovered artworks that had been considered ‘degenerate’ in the Nazi era.  His current series of oil on Polaroid paintings at the gallery involves painterly additions to photos found in his childhood house in Spain, continuing an engagement with recovered imagery from the past.  A hazy view inside a refrigerator, and a parrot in an arctic landscape suggest that Cormand is focusing on the strange or magical in the everyday; his swimmer similarly transports us, triggering memories of nature at its most inviting.  (On view through August 15th).

Marti Cormand, Swimmer (nedador), oil on polaroid, 4.20 h x 3.5 x inches, 2019.