Drawn/Taped/Burned: Abstraction on Paper » Karen Schiff

Karen Schiff on Sol LeWitt

Rachel Nackman — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:46:46 +0000

I would like to call these “non-pyramids.” First, they cannot exist in conventional three-dimensional space. (No wonder LeWitt called this series “Complex Forms”!) Second, they are not positive shapes: what might not be visible in this picture of this picture is that they are formed by filling in the negative space all around. Each “form” actually represents the absence of most of the colors that LeWitt uses to create the dark space. This deep black is made up of layers of teal blue, deep carmine, and yellow ochre, plus a thin dark wash, all visible at the margins. My favorite interpretation of this color scheme is that LeWitt is using the four colors of a standard print job: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. This drawing is the opposite of a print job, however. The brushwork is lush, revealing that even the most orthodox conceptual artist can be a sensualist.

Karen Schiff on Stefana McClure

Rachel Nackman — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:50:54 +0000

Whispers of language
We can never fully hear
What words try to say

When I think about the “words” Stefana McClure is tracing in this piece – pictograms, ideograms, glyphs – I become aware of all that I’ll never understand. This isn’t just because I don’t know Japanese, or because I’m trained in letter-based languages instead. It’s also because there are some words that are almost too faint to see: what might not be visible in this picture of this picture is a column of marks on the far right. This column centers the image in its vermilion field, and it poignantly suggests that all our expressions are haunted by meanings that lie beyond language, and beyond us.

Karen Schiff on Erwin Redl

Rachel Nackman — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:17:10 +0000

This drawing buzzes. This comes in part from the intensity of the red and the black against their tumbling mat of white. But it also comes from what might not be visible in this picture of this picture: the edges of the rectangles crackle. It looks as if Redl drew the outlines with crayon, then filled in the spaces with ink. Rough against hard edges, and especially reddish crayon against black ink, create a visual electricity – a hum. So I was not surprised to learn that Redl has two music degrees, and that as an artist he is best known for installations made from lights. This piece moves with rhythm and shimmer.

William Anastasi on Karen Schiff

Rachel Nackman — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:56:30 +0000