Tag: painting

Philip Guston at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In the late 60s, abstract artist Philip Guston stopped painting, then restarted his practice by building a new, figurative artistic vocabulary.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s newly installed mezzanine gallery features solitary painted objects – a lightbulb, a shoe – on small canvases that demonstrate how the artist weighed up the meaning and import of everyday objects that he would later repeat. This untitled painting shows a partial view of the artist himself, apparently painted over and covering another image. Wide-eyed and looking straight at the viewer, Guston is only partially visible, but his wary stare speaks volumes about his desire to communicate.  (On view on the Upper East Side in the Met’s ‘Philip Guston: The Panel Paintings, 1968-72 which includes work from Musa Guston Mayer’s promised gift.)

Philip Guston, Untitled, acrylic on panel, 1968.

Barbara Takenaga at DC Moore Gallery

Abstract painter Barbara Takenaga stakes out new territory in recent works at DC Moore Gallery in Chelsea, introducing compositions dominated by curvy organic shapes (recalling bodies by Gladys Nilsson) and bordered by bright red contour lines.  The 12 foot long ‘Two for Bontecou’ features a fragmented circular object with a void at center a la sculptor Lee Bontecou, and appears to combine deliberately rendered forms with Takenaga’s signature change-driven mark-making.  Here, in ‘Red Turnout,’ a multi-colored form snakes up from below while a signature explosion of white marks covers the canvas, contributing to this painting’s dynamic impact.  (On view through April 27th in Chelsea).

Barbara Takenaga, Red Turnout, acrylic on linen, 70 x 60 inches, 2024.

Sarah Crowner at Luhring Augustine Gallery

Barbara Hepworth’s pierced organic abstractions, Henry Moore’s curvilinear reclining figures and the undulating forms of Chinese scholar stones come to mind when viewing Sarah Crowner’s attractive new bronze sculptures at Luhring Augustine Gallery’s Tribeca space.  Reflecting Crowner’s vibrant paintings, which have fittingly vivid titles like ‘Red Oranges Over Orange with Curve,’ or ‘Violets Over Reds,’ the sculptures are enhanced by and enhance their environment.  (On view through May 4th).

Sarah Crowner, installation view of ‘Hot Light, Hard Light,’ at Luhring Augustine Gallery, Tribeca, March 2024.

Ian Mwesiga at FLAG Art Foundation

Forest mist and a pool’s smooth surface mirror each other in color and tranquility in Ian Mwesiga’s intriguing painting ‘Man and His Shadow’ at the FLAG Art Foundation, but the scene isn’t as peaceful as it first appears.  The work is a standout in the Kampala-based artist’s first New York solo show and one of several that feature pools of water as troubled places.  In one painting, a woman glides underwater while a friend acts as lookout under a ‘no swimming’ sign; in another piece, a corporate logo dominates the scene.  Here, the water looks least inviting for a dip, as fallen leaves indicate a change of season that might bring a chill to the air.  Standing between two cracked columns that suggest ruins and leaning on a more solid-looking, modern wall, a young man in swim trunks peels off a sock.  Apparently the sole agent who can decide how this scenario moves forward, viewers look to him, anticipating what will happen next.  (On view in Chelsea through May 4th).

Ian Mwesiga, Man and His Shadow, oil on canvas, 70 7/8 x 59 inches, 2023.

Dabin Ahn at 1969 Gallery

Inspired by traditional Korean ceramics, Chicago-based artist Dabin Ahn’s new paintings at 1969 Gallery combine art historical references with a feeling of wonder and whimsy.  Painted like an apparition, the top section of this vessel hovers in lighter tones above the more solid-looking segment below.  Perhaps once part of the decoration, the birds’ white wings continue the contour of the vase while they appear to cavort in mid-air.  Materializing as if from memory or history, the vase may be broken, but its magical quality remains.  (On view in Tribeca through April 20th).

Dabin Ahn, Phantom, 18h x 17w inches, oil on linen, 2024.