Leif Kath, Untitled, 2011, 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas
Elizabeth Harris Gallery is presenting an exhibition of new work by Danish painter Leif Kath, through July 27, 2012. I have watched Kath's work for a number of years, and have always been taken with the delicacy of his approach to materials, and with his inventiveness within a fairly focused program. In this exhibition, which features more than twenty pieces in both rooms of the gallery, he has created a highly refined suite of small-scale geometric improvisations that read like a constructivist playbook. Most of the paintings are no larger than 20 inches, and explore the dynamic tensions of line in and around an activated field. Which sounds pretty dry, but when taken all together, the group of paintings convey an open-ended playfulness that is supported by the casual handmade quality of each painting's surface. It is evident that the compositions are not predetermined, but are arrived at through the painting process, pushing to achieve unorthodox rhythms and dramatic contrasts. We can sense in this work the artist's enchantment with the endless possibilities before him, each painting a moment in a fluent stream of variations.
Leif Kath, Untitled, 2011, 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas
Leif Kath, Untitled, 2011, 20 x 16 inches, acrylic on canvas
Leif Kath, Untitled, 2011, 20 x 24 inches, acrylic on canvas
