SECTION FOURTEEN
THE ART PAGE
sm
COLUMN
SEVENTY, APRIL 1, 2002
(Copyright © 2002 Al Aronowitz)
JOHN ZURIER Oblaka 14, 2000 Oil on linen; 36" x 24"
JOHN ZURIER, ROBERT RYMAN, JOSEPH
MARIONI: PAINTING through 13 April, 2002
LARRY BECKER CONTEMPORARY ART, 43 North Second Street, Philadelphia is presenting
new work in varying scale by three up-and-coming artists of the contemporary
avant-garde---all respected for a distinctive focus on painting itself: John
Zurier, Robert Ryman and Joseph Marioni.
Each
works within his own characteristic range of palette and color study in relation
to scale, structure, and 'hand' or approach to the medium.
Transparency, viscosity or the light-emitting properties of earth
pigments are some elements that figure into the delineated but illuminating
explorations of Marioni, Ryman, and Zurier respectively.
But while the work of each is very different, we find the differences of
great interest, Also, all three credit their mutual support and their materials
as an important and integral part of the work.
Outstanding
public and private collections, including major museums here and abroad, have
acknowledged all three men proportionate to the lengths of their careers.
The rigorous attitude taken by each of these artists to his work has
become noticeably noteworthy, but more importantly, the work is balanced and
rewards itself with the resonance and complex visual richness of the paintings
for which they are known.
The
exhibition began February 15 and was to continue through mid-April, but the
overwhelming response already has prompted the gallery to extend the showing to
April 20. The exhibition, featuring works from each of the artists, including a
painting executed on site especially for this exhibition by Robert Ryman: Philadelphia
Prototype, 2002. It is
comprised of ten elements, each about 26" square, within an integral wall
area thirty-seven feet wide (ten feet to a corner plus twenty-seven feet).
Luminous titanium white prevails upon and past the edges of buff-colored
flat vinyl panels.
The
gallery also presents for the first time Joseph Marioni's deeply-hued Blue
Paint, 2002 and John Zurier's light-receptive 012laka 61, 2002.
All of the paintings from Zurier and Marioni are recent, ranging in dates
from 2000 to 2002.
Scale
and relation to space are elements acknowledged in the concept for this
exhibition. Marioni works with
scale/size/format parameters in relation to color as an integral part of each
painting. This selection covers three variations.
One
of John Zurier's largest recent paintings, MAZ 3, 2000 (93" x
126"), balances the proportion of surface markings to the size of the
canvas as in other much smaller works here.
Ryman's painting is in the space.
Although
the artists themselves are acquainted, this is the first gathering together of
the work of all three. Their
simultaneous presence allows a mutual illumination.
This
exhibition happens to overlap two other important exhibitions in the
Philadelphia area, the 2002 Biennial Exhibition at the Whitney Museum of
American Art in New York (in which, it turns out, John Zurier is included for
the first time; Robert Ryman and
Joseph Marioni have both been included at the Whitney show in previous years) In
whaat is perhaps a planned coincidence, Barnett Newman will be featured at the
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Regular
hours for Larry Becker Contemporary Art on Fridays and Saturdays begin at 11 AM
and end at 5 PM. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, appointments are
advised. In addition, Photographs
are available upon request. Also, see http://www.artnet.com/lbecker.html.
215/925 5389 Contact: Heidi Nivling or Larry Becker ##
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