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12.17.2014

Fair and Loathing: Small and Mid-Size Paintings

Fair and Loathing: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times 
Fair and Loathing: Coincidences, Trends and a Coupla WTFs
Fair and Loathing: Big Paintings
Fair and Loathing: Art? Not Art?

Eten Adnan's small paintings at Galleria Continua, San Gimignano; ABMB


The thing about small paintings at any fair, but especially the big fairs, is that they draw you close so that seeing become a rather intimate act. That kind of engagement is difficult to achieve otherwise because the experience of walking through a fair is a bit like walking the midway at a carnival: You take it all in from a distance, unless you decide to shoot the mechanical ducks. Well, I shot the ducks with my camera, and I extend this opportunity to you to engage with them as intimately as your screen allows.

At a closer viewing range its obvious that good small work is visually powerful.  I'm going to keep my comments brief, but let me say that Etel Adnan's  paintings were the sleeper hit of the recent Whitney Biennial, and I loved seeing them here. I also loved seeing Pius Fox's small paintings (disclaimer: I have one in my collection); and I loved seeing the small work of Anne Appleby, Squeak Carnwath, Jeff Kellar, Imi Knoebel, Andrew Masullo and others. "Small" extends to mid-size paintings, some of the best examples of which were in the booth of New York City's Lennon, Weinberg Gallery--a visual tour of abstraction, from gestural to structural to geometric, with some sculpture in there as well.  And we're off.


Above and below: Etel Adnan at Calleria Continue; ABMB






Pius Fox at Patrick Heide Contemporary, London: Pulse


Above and below: Pius Fox



Alain Biltereyst at Jack Hanley Gallery, New York City; NADA


Above and below: Alain Biltereyest




Elaine Reichek at Zach Feuer Gallery, New York City; NADA
What you can't tell from a distance, but you can from close up, is that these little paintings are in fact embroideries. Look closer and you see that each approximately 10-inch-square work reflects the work of a well-known artist

Reichek channeling Louise Bourgeois, above, and Ellsworth Kelly




Bruce Price at David B. Smith Gallery; Miami Project 

Above and below: Bruce Price



Installation of small paintings and framed works on paper at Marissa Newman Projects, New York City; Untitled
Below: Meg Cranston painting



Abiove and Below: Mike Carroll at Dolan Maxwell, Philadelphia; Ink


Above and below: Shara Hughes at American Contemporary, NADA



Angelina Gualdoni at Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York City; Untitled


Sara Sosnowy at Lesley Heller Workspace, New York City; Miami Project
Corner detail below


Don Voisine at McKenzie Fine Art, New York City; Pulse


Alfredo Volpi at Galerie Bergamin, Sao Paolo; ABMB

Above and below: Alfredo Volpi


Sarah Braman at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York City; ABMB
Closer view below


Imi Knoebel at Galerie Christian Lethert, Cologne; NADA
Closer view below



Imi Knoebel and Andrew Masullo at John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco; ABMB


Aaron T. Stephan at Samson Projects, Boston; Untitled



Matt Magee at Richard Levy Gallery; Miami Project


Gallery view with Magee at right and Jeff Kellar  on far wall
Below: Jeff Kellar



Anne Appleby at PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon; Miami Project



Joanne Mattera at Projects Gallery, Miami; Aqua Art
Closer view below


Unidentified artist at Proyectos Untravioleta, Guatemala City; NADA



Helen O'Leary at Lesley Heller Workspace, New York City; Miami Project
Installaton view, with another work below



Jessica Stockholder at Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York City; ABMB
Closer view below


Augusto Sandroni at Maloney Fine Art, Los Angeles; Untitled
Closer view below


Lorenzo Mardaresco at Fouladi Projects, San Francisco; Miami Project



William J. O'Brien
Brien at Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; NADA
Closer view below


Jason Karolak at Robichon, Denver; Miami Project



Alicia McCarthy at Jack Hanley, New York City; NADA



Jill Moser, Stephen Westfall and Harriet Korman at Lennon, Weinberg, New York City; Miami Project

Below: Harriet Korman


Continuing around the booth: Stephen Mueller and Roy Dowell (sculpture and painting)
Below: On outside wall, Richard Kalina (left) and Melissa Meyer




Thomas Nozkowski at Pace, New York City; ABMM
Closer view below



Squeak Carnwath at Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, California; Aqua Art


Alyse Rosner at Rick Wester Fine Art, New York City; Pulse
Closer view below

Clara Broerman at Federica Schiavo Gallery, Rome; NADA


Installation view of Federica Schiavo Gallery with another Clara Broerman below



Lisa Levy at Schroeder Romero, New York City; Pulse
 The last word (at least for today):

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for the attention.

Linda Starr said...

so much geometry going on, love it

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for coming by Joanne- You are a true schlepper!! John and Lesley

شات صوتي said...

nice thanks for you

debraclaffey said...

Excellent post, thanks!

Anonymous said...

great work...great tour and my feet don't hurt. Thanks Joanne.