Take a leap, 2009. Photo by David Allison © 2010 Sheila Makhijani

Agnes Berecz’s December 2, 2010 lecture/slideshow On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century, coinciding with the MOMA exhibition through February 7, 2011 and part of the Brown Bag Lunch Series gave maximum attention to the most minimal unit of drawing—the line.  On Line, explores the radical transformation of the medium of drawing.”

Berecz contrasted the simple line, aligned as it is to the intimacy of drawing (it’s close to the body) to the rambunctious line as executant of the sculptor, choreographer, and filmmaker who pulls it “off the page and (pushes it) into space and time” beginning with Ellsworth Kelly’s Pine Branches VI, (1950, Pencil on paper) an example of automatic drawing, where the hand draws indeterminately in an expression of the unconscious, effectively removing the artist from his work.  Next, she moved to Richard Tuttle’s controversial, site specific, wire constructions (automatism, yet again), which negotiated sculpture, drawing and performance all in one.  Berecz described the installation:  Tuttle drew a line on the museum wall using a pencil. Next, he attached a nail on each end of the line, then placed a wire over the pattern drawn.  Upon lifting his hands from the taut wire, it sprang into a new shape, undirected by the artist.  Shown at the Whitney in 1975 and called a “debacle” by one critic, the show was rumored to have contributed to the dismissal of Marcia Tucker, then curator of painting and sculpture in 1977.

With subsequent slides, Berecz describes increasingly radical lines.  Soon, they are unframed, off walls, and decidedly “on stage”.  Line as performance is explored using Carolee Schneemann’s 1973-76 “Up To and Including Her Limbs”, meant to subvert the maleness of Jackson Pollack’s mark-making.  Here, Schneemann used her nude body, suspended in a tree surgeon’s harness as a mark-marking tool, harassing lines into a drawing/performance/video. Also, Lygia Clark’s Caminhando, where line is performed by museum “viewers” who, rather than the artist, become the fabricators, cutting pieces of paper and “making lines”, then Piero Manzoni’s Linea, 1959 which conceptually challenges viewers to risk believing the length of a “hidden” line enclosed in a container and labeled, a kind of line-making as a secret.

Sheet of Studies (c. 1939-42), Jackson Pollock

Upon entering the MoMA’s Abstract Expressionist New York I immediately felt at home. As cliché as it may sound, MoMA’s most recent exhibition, which takes up the entirety of the fourth floor painting and sculpture galleries, is full of old friends. The show combines hundreds of paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the permanent collection, in an exhaustive effort to showcase New York postwar painting. Many of the paintings in the exhibition are gems usually on permanent display. Re-configured into a new narrative structure, the exhibition has shined new light on old favorites. Barnett Newman’s The Wild, Jackson Pollock’s Echo: Number 25, 1951 and Franz Kline’s Chief are among the most iconic of these examples.

Chief (1950), Franz Kline

When I heard news of this exhibition, I couldn’t help but think “here we go again”. Since its critical acclaim in the 40s and 50s Abstract Expressionism, and its attendant art historians and critics have been exhaustively revisited, re-imagined, and critiqued. Though most of what has been said is true, to launch an exhibition from this era is now, indeed a daunting task. Several notable critics were quick to lambast the show. It is true, all the big names are there, large rooms are dedicated entirely to Pollock, Rothko, and Barnett Newman who have long dominated the spotlight of this age. It is far from the revolution I know many critics, and art lovers would have liked to see. If not a revolution “Abstract Expressionism New York” is progressive and sensitive. While much of the fourth floor has been dedicated to the art of eight or nine of the most famous artists of the generation, there are paintings and sculptures by lesser known painters. While the exhibit doesn’t address the exclusion of female and minority painters, it does include examples of both. Works on paper and canvas by sculptors like Herbert Ferber and David Smith are also on display. Though far from perfect the broad scope of artists, mediums, and works in this exhibit make it a must see.

Personage, with Yellow Ochre and White (1947), Robert Motherwell

Excavations Non Objective, Michael Filan’s solo show of abstract paintings are on exhibit as part of the Intercultural Church’s 50^th anniversary celebration through the end of August, 2010.  Filan uses brilliant enamel paints, which he refers to as light, the intensity of color serving as his “mystical guide”.  Dripped, poured and sprayed on recycled monoprints, with paper pulled away in some areas, exposing the work beneath it, a new genre of painting is brought forward, fueled by curiosity and impulse.

These handsome “pictures of nothing,” Kirk Varnedoe’s coinage for abstract art, are brushless and daringly drippy inventions which have been skillfully curated by Frank DeGregorio on free-standing, staggered walls with negative space above and below the paintings, allowing viewers to mix’n’match paintings in groupings from a variety of angles with great affect.

Enthusiasts of abstraction will see the influences of de Kooning, Frankenthaler and the lesser known Morris Louis, and more importantly, the quiddity of the art form in the delightfully, joyful gallery space known as the Treasure Room.

(photos by Marco Anelli)

Here is a comment by one sitter Paco Blancas, who went back to sit for more than 10 times.

I think Marina’s piece has a very strong magnetism. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like you feel this force, it draws you in, like a magnet. Sitting with her is a transforming experience—it’s luminous, it’s uplifting, it has many layers, but it always comes back to being present, breathing, maintaining eye contact. It’s an amazing journey to be able to experience and participate in the piece.

Also, I love meeting people in line. I’ve met a lot of people and have made a lot of new friends, many of them artists, but really all sorts of people. I keep in touch with them and we e-mail constantly to talk about our experiences. It’s like a little community of people who come to participate in the piece.

(excerpt from P.S.1/MoMA’s Inside/Out)

The Art Book Swap New York at MoMA blended noble intentions with fun and ingenuity.

NADA and Regency Arts Press, Ltd. sponsored the event on Saturday, February 6, 2010, from noon-5pm.  What’s this all about and how is it done, you ask?  Keyword answers are free books, simply, and effortlessly…bring your art books and swap them for the same number of art books donated by others.  “Others” included New York City art galleries, the MOMA book store, plus folks who attended the event and donated books from their personal libraries.

“…remaining books are donated to prison libraries…”

Perhaps a few examples of titles that one of our contributors from Artcards.cc swapped would illustrate why this was such a worthwhile event:

George Condo:  Existential Portraits
Adam Fuss:  Photograms of Life and Death
Rudolph Burckhardt: An Afternoon in Astoria
Amy Cutler:  Paintings and Drawings
Artists’ Sketchbooks: 1st exhibition catalog for Matthew Marks’ new gallery (1991)
Lighthouse Series I-XIV by Helen Frankenthaler

Excellent titles, yes, but more importantly, the event promoted the discovery of titles and/or artists that you might not have previously had an inclination to learn more about.  Discovery, yes, that is why this art book swap was so engaging.

Do not miss the next event!  It will take place in another U.S. city yet to be determined.  See www.regencyartspress.org for more information. Many thanks to the MOMA staff for their help and enthusiasm!