More Memorable NY Shows from 2019

Squeak Carnwath at Jane Lombard

Mary Corse at Pace and Dia Beacon

Helen Frankenthaler at the Parrish Museum & Mnuchin

Peter Halley at Greene Naftali

Jasper Johns at Matthew Marks

Jasper Johns at Craig F. Starr (see post below)

Brice Marden at Gagosian (see post below)

Knox Martin at Hollis Taggart

Joanne Mattera at Odetta

Alice Neel at David Zwirner

Doug Ohlson at Washburn

Michelle Stuart at Galerie Lelong

John Zurier at Peter Blum

SLIPPERY WHEN WET at Metaphor

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road Series, encaustic on 18 panels, 12 x 12 inches each

Andrew Mockler, Untitled Blue 1, 72 x 29 inches, oil on canvas

Don Muchow, Water Study #3, 20 x 30 inches, archival ink jet print

Nancy Manter, Pane #2, 48 x 38 inches, C-print

Metaphor Contemporary Art in Brooklyn opens the season with "Slippery When Wet" (through November 22), a group show that extends that summer feeling of a breezy day at the beach with a focus on the theme of water. Presenting the work of seven artists: Suzan Batu, Susan Homer, Nancy Manter, Joanne Mattera, Andrew Mockler, Don Muchow, Peter Schroth -- this beautifully curated show offers a nice range of approaches to photography, descriptive painting, and pure abstraction, all dealing loosely or directly with some aspect of the aquatic realm. There are many wonderful relations and conversations among the works -- the image or sensation of pooling tidal ebb and flow brings the abstract calligraphy of Batu and the traditional oil waterscapes of Schroth together with Muchow's glistening zenlike photographs, and is also echoed in Mockler's shifting horizontal stripes and Mattera's modulating color. The fluidity of calligraphic markmaking dominates the work of Batu and Schroth, as well as Homer's large etherial landscape, and is expanded in Manter's photos of panes of glass which read like gestural abstract paintings. The entire show is infused with soft blues, silvery grays and silky surfaces. The centerpiece of the show is Mattera's selection of 18 encaustic panels that occupy the end wall of the gallery, and exquisitly embody the show's theme in an endless and expansive exchange of color resonance and shimmering surface that embraces the viewer like an ocean breeze on an August afternoon.

To see a pictorial walk-through of the exhibition as well as candid shots of the opening, go to Joanne Mattera's Blog.

JOANNE MATTERA Covers Miami

For those of us who aren't able to experience first hand the Miami art fairs in all their glory, a visit to Joanne Mattera's blog might just be better than the real thing. Again this year, Joanne has taken in the whole schlemozzle, and edited it down to a great selection of images and commentary for our armchair enjoyment. At this point, I'd say it's a tradition --- many thanks Joanne.

MATTERA, BECK & LAKE

Not a '70s prog-rock band -- but three wonderful painters who also devote a great deal of time to creating thoughtful and informative art blog posts. All three have recently posted outstanding pieces.

Joanne Mattera gives us a masterful virtual tour of the Geo/Metric show at MoMA, complete with amazing photos that take us step-by-step through this remarkable installation, accompanied by Joanne's excellent and insightful comments about the work.

Kate Beck features a meditation on the color orange, and includes numerous abstract paintings as examples -- including one of my own (thanks Kate).

Eva Lake relates a fascinating story about the great Hannah Hoch, and profiles her life and work with some very fine examples of her collages.

NO CHROMOPHOBIA at OK Harris

Julie Gross, Her-O, 48" x 48", oil on linen

Mary Obering, Quartet, 42" x 84" x 3", egg tempera & gold leaf on gesso panel

Marthe Keller, Gelb Greem Girl, 58" x 59", acrylic on canvas

Joanne Mattera, Uttar 229, 18" x 18", encaustic on panel

Large group shows are notoriously uneven and sprawling, reflecting the difficulty of assembling more than a few artists with a shared sensibility. A remarkable exception is the new show called “No Chromophobia” at OK Harris. Curated by Richard Witter, this show focuses on color as content in abstract painting, and brings together thirty three painters in a stunning array of discerning concept and sensuous chroma. I do not know all the artists in the show, but it appears that there are no careering youngsters here. This is a group of seasoned mid-career painters who have developed their respective processes through years of rigorous refinement. There is a conspicuous absence of irony – these artists are engaged in painting not as pastiche, but as a deeply intelligent exploration of visual and tactile properties. In addition to the focus on color, the show is unified and driven by reductive form, and what could be described as succinct construction -- delicate balancing of the analytical and the sensuous -- surfaces and objects that are beautifully and specifically crafted, infused with sagacious knowledge of the medium and the language, with absolutely no fluff – direct painting, deceptive in its simplicity. Looking around the galleries from a distance, this show is a feast for the eyes as the vibrant hues resonate from one piece to the next around the rooms. Up close, the distinctiveness of each artist’s approach presents one rich encounter after another. Anyone who really loves painting would be hard pressed to find a more satisfying group exhibition.

JOANNE MATTERA

Joanne Mattera, Silk Road 44, 12" x 12", encaustic on panel

I'm pretty sure anyone who is reading this is familiar with Joanne Mattera: painter, author, blogger, traveler, keen observer. For quite some time I have made a habit of checking in regularly with Joanne's blog, and my reason for writing this blurb is really to thank her for the quality of the information she makes available there. I am constantly amazed by the endless supply of energy she brings to the many facets of her endeavor, and by the generosity of her intentions on a daily basis. First off, I really enjoy her taste in paintings; and her blog is somewhat like an ongoing curatorial project, very intelligent, discerning and consistent. Her ability to zero in on paintings with integrity and depth is remarkable. Second, as a painter living 2 hours out of NYC with teaching & family responsibilities, I find it hard to get into the city every single month - let alone to Miami. But Mattera is somehow able to not only sustain the vitality of her painting career, but to be constantly on the go, reporting from ALL the fairs in Miami, and from San Francisco, and from Boston, and from Chelsea. I don't know how she does it, but I'm very appreciative of the vicarious experiences she offers.

Not to forget her paintings --- Mattera's recent show at OK Harris was an exquisite line of jewel-like encaustic panels. Titled the "Silk Road" series, these exotic beauties ooze sensuality in their lush surfaces and in their subtle undulating color. Each 12" panel features a different and distinct color situation created with horizontal & vertical glazes, masterfully woven like iridescent fabric.

Artists like Mattera are rare. What she does to feed her work and life: her ongoing research, observation, information sponging -- she willingly shares with us through considerable effort and time spent not painting. It is an attitude about community and the quality of life, about promoting an open flow of information in order to raise the bar of shared experience. Thanks, Joanne.