May 15, 2007

By JOE WALENTINI

One of the most pleasant surprises that sometimes occur as part of reviewing shows is to be on my way to check out one show only to stumble onto another one that is much better.  So it was with this exhibition.  This work channels a period of abstract painting that occurred in the 30s and 40s which has been underserved for attention in my opinion (but which this gallery is dedicated to).  I’m thinking of artists like Arthur Dove, John Marin and Milton Avery. Gregory Amenoff clearly has his own solidly defined style but in his perfection of a cross-over abstract/landscape subject matter and dramatic approach, his sensibility has much in common with those other artists.   There may be additional, less direct comparisons too such as an oblique connection to El Greco, but enough comparisons.

Amenoff’s subject matter is unequivocally landscape, albeit not in a straightforward naturalistic manner. You recognize the identifiers: mountains, water, sunlight, rainbows and stars. But these do not read as a direct narrative. This observation leads to another which is that there is also a measure of what I call ‘modern’ painting present which is not to be confused with Modernism.  This is best defined by how the compositions confidently carve up the picture plane.  But the real focus of this marvelous work is on the stylization of landscape as captured in an imaginative, magical, emotional even mystical point of view. A delicate balance is achieved here between each of these aspects where no one dominates yet each contributes to the greater whole.  For example, take a painting like Sun Pillar where the intensity of the sun is given a lyrical treatment.  Like something from a pre-Renaissance painting the central form doubles to create an undefined metaphor such as the hand of God reaching out on the world.  The contrasts are dramatic in support of the concept but the arrangement of the forms renders a contemporary reading too.  This is further supported by the treatment of space in which you are aware of the landscape’s spatial depth while equally so of the democratic flatness of the forms.  Dare I sneak in another historical reference - Cezanne - purely for the handling of space?  Each painting in this show similarly connects in these ways while preserving individualistic character.  (To that point, after surveying this show I was hard pressed to choose only 5 images to include).

Color and texture are other important elements for this work.  The color is a wonderful mix of occasionally bright intense hues set in an environment of earthier tones with a nice helping of low-chroma whites, blacks and grays.  The color is rich and mysterious and a critical factor for establishing the emotional temperature of the work.  If these paintings suggest dreamscapes it is the color that sets the mood and makes it possible. On this basis alone I’m reminded of imaginative children’s book illustration which is no pejorative observation. The texture accomplishes two things.  The first is to support the landscape narrative by assisting the references to natural elements like water, foliage and clouds.  It is also a key factor in countering the dominance of deep space which helps flatten out the forms.

So what is the artist’s intent for these paintings?  I suspect he has a great time making them which is objective enough for any artist.  There is such pure joy at work here which Amenoff is more than happy to share with his viewers.   But these are not simply paintings about the pleasures of poetically interpreted landscapes. They go deeper to engage you on a couple of levels - as both lyrical expressions and as a specific reality about what painting is and does.  In other words, they feed the emotions but simultaneously engage the mind. Only through painting can you arrive at these particular crossroads of feeling and intellect which shifts significantly from one painting to the next.  If the subject matter is landscape the content is where and how painting transports you there.