art days...the moma and such.

a couple weeks back i head out to the moma with hanneline and my advanced painting class. every time i go its amazing to me how many people come from far and wide to this overly large, elaborate establishment filled to the brim with with modern art and some of the best shows in the world. maybe i take it for granted because its an hour train ride and a 20 block walk away from my residence in new brunswick. i met up with alan and we strolled over 53rd st between 5th and 6th ave to the moma. amazing to find was the entrance line which almost extended to 6th avenue before the doors even opened at 10.30 in the morning. the reason for this journey was the james ensor exhibition that was on display. prior to this i had no real knowledge of james ensor and his work. as soon as i got to the 6th floor and entered the show i could tell there was A LOT of work. so much that i used capital letters. my class dispersed so we could view at our own pace. i proceeded to put my headphones on and nod my head around this extensive show that so many had come to see.

ensor is a belgian artist and this show displays a lot of his work from the 1880's - 90's.  he developed a "tachist" style which uses a sketchy, suggestive style of paint application. upon first peruse, i immediately notice that there are many deep layers of washes that all convey different information and detail. areas of color are often comprised of many reflective colors. the tonalities can be very similar but we can still discern all of the necessary information about the image. on the contrary, there is an effective absence of detail in spots in which our mind can successfully create what is missing.

the paintings alone were very diverse. some were bold and full of detail with heavy paint application while others were thin and made of multiple layers of thin washes.  the areas that appear under-developed in these paintings become just as important as those that are fully developed. i noticed some of the work almost starts to remind me of lucian freud paintings through the use of color and even texture in some spots. ensor also has religious pieces they are not cliche or idolized. sometimes he even represents himself as christ.

amazing to see were his drawings which were nothing short of amazing. my understanding is that ensor drawings are hard to come by and there were a good number of them at the moma. some of these drawings were monumental and on a level i've never contemplated tackling with that much detail. from my judgement they were approximately 8 feet tall by 5 feet wall. astonishing. what's great is there there were other drawings that were 8 inches tall and just as captivating as the overly large ones. it was a beautiful contrast.

there were also a good amount of ensor's etchings in the show. the etching sometimes contrast his drawing style but the style of mark making is often similar. some of these etchings are brightened with the use of colored gouache. there is a lot of fine line work and detail in his prints.

his self-portraits play a big part in the show.  he represented himself in many different roles including Christ, women and skeletons. they were typically done in an effort of self-promotion and social engagement. there were also a lot of works that included people in fantasy settings with masks and spirits.  these works came at the end of the show where his pieces became more playful and satirical. overall the show was amazing, diverse and extensive. this brief review does it no justice...you could easily write pages. i'm sorry for those who missed it.

after this we headed on down to chelsea.

these will be brief responses...no more essays...

paul kasmin gallery. 293 10th ave. NAKED!

wide range of completely nude figures. all media. from classical stylings to immatre, playful, cartoon like images.

kent gallery. 541 w25th st.

eclectic group show. from figures to landscapes. graced by the likes of yves tanguy and giacometti.

cheim & read gallery. 547 w25th st. the female gaze.

completely feminine. women dealing with women's issues. some cliche. some mystical. some photorealistic.

zach feur gallery. 530 w24th st. dasha shishkin.

subjects and content not directly related. hard to tell the work is by the same artist. connected through pallette and playfulness. from figures to flowers.

luhring augustine gallery. 531 w24th st. janine antoni.

at first you tend to scratch your head. then it all comes together. innovative. impressive.

d'amelio terras gallery. 525 w22nd st. joanne greenbaum & elliot green.

j.g - the strokeyness of giacometti meets architectural and geometric form. bright. loud. large.

e.g - extreme figural abstraction. bright. smooth. artist's hand is visible.

sikkema jenkins & co. 530 w22ndst. mark bradford & kara walker.

m.b - beautiful surfaces made of non-traditional materials. lots of layers. often sanded.

k.w - typical cut paper and paint. mainly b&w. some color. use of negative images. even a video.

pace-wildenstein gallery. 545 w22nd st. maya lin.

amazing.

david zwirner gallery. 533 w19th st. raoul de keyser & chris ofili.

r.d.k - small color field paintings. a lot of solitary strokes. some collage. not for me.

c.o - pencil drawings of repetitive forms starting at the same point. a lot of movement. simple. almost psychadelic.

with the imminent threat of rain i didn't want to bring my camera out so i could not document the day. worst part is that is never even rained a little bit. damn. that was a long post.