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Abstract Visions: Path to Freedom
Florian Depenthal, Shattered Splendor, 1993, Oil on canvas, 54” x 42”. Courtesy of Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries (Coral Gables, Miami)
By Janet Batet
The end of the nineteenth century meant the extreme fatigue of a Western culture exhausted by the burden of figurative art rules imposed since the Renaissance. The emergence of new art expressions, such as photography and cinema -whose advantages as accurate representations of reality are undisputed- and the discovery of traditional arts in non-European cultures, such as Africa, China and Japan, catalyzed a crisis of values regarding the classical notion of art and opened up new horizons of unimaginable freedom; among them, abstract art. More than a century has passed since then, but still the lack of tangible reference puzzles us.
Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables is presenting “Five Abstract Visions,” an outstanding exhibition of mid-career artists that explores the endless possibilities of abstract painting with very particular visions.
Andy Moses and Michelle Concepción seem interested in exploring abstraction as a gesture of defiance to the natural limitation of painting: its two-dimensionality. Both play with notions of depth and movement, exploring the cosmos on a macro and micro scale. Aaron Karp’s works lead us into a shimmering universe that enhances rhythms and color combinations. His canvases are the perfect passage into a dreamlike world dominated by a playful sensation, where the suggestive element is essential; capricious Moorish domes, complex mosaics and fabulous exotic carpets invite the viewer on a magic voyage.
Linda Touby, Homage to Giotto 414, 2009, Oil and wax on canvas, 56” x 56”. Courtesy of Art/Space Virginia Miller Galleries (Coral Gables, Miami)
The dazzling canvases of Florian Depenthal are loaded with powerful expression. Each emphatic stroke -applied by spatula- evidences a trace of mood, the vivid feeling invading the canvas before being tempered by reason. Occasionally, Depenthal stops at small details, scraping here and there with the handle of the brush, leaving little notes: encrypted writing with a tone of intimacy.
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It is outstanding how, via abstract language, the artist evokes the figurative universe of Giotto, thanks to the effective use of three elements: texture (intended for the simulation of technique); color (in order to recreate Giotto’s palette) and composition (the horizontal colored stripes recall the Italian master’s fragmented use of the plane as a perspective illusion).
Touby’s works signify an exquisite dialogue regarding the controversial relationship between the abstract and figurative arts. In this playful rhetorical game, she highlights another essential parallel: a homage to Rothko, icon of the School of New York and essential symbol of the dispute between abstract and figurative art. Another clin d’oeil: The definitive entry of America into the modern art scene is invariably associated with abstract art.
Abstract art is always a challenge to a spirit stiffened by centuries of autocratic representation. “Five Abstract Visions” is a propitious path to the imagination and the free enjoyment of art forms per se.
“Five Abstract Visions” is on view through February 28, 2010
Art Space/Virginia Miller Galleries. 169 Madeira Avenue, Coral Gables (Miami), Florida, 33134. Phone 305 444 4493
