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The big blue skies of…. Philadelphia?
David Foss and Lisa Sylvester at L. G. Tripp Gallery
David Foss is showing his Western roots, and the results are like a breath of spring. As soon as I walked into the L. G. Tripp Gallery, I felt as if my vision had expanded to include a big blue sky (The Blue Beyond) and wide fields of ripening crops (Open Fields).
Foss's exhibition of recent paintings plus one sculpture seems to be a reconciliation of the wide open spaces of his early life and education in Minnesota, Colorado and South Dakota, prior to his migration to Philadelphia in 1989. The space is well articulated and circumscribed by geometric lines defining urban culture.
Despite man's attempts, Nature prevails, and Foss confirms it. His multiple layers of paint extend behind the man-made urban grid, revealing various aspects of the natural world. Straight is the Gate (2011) recalls the first exciting view of a sunrise on new growth. Its yellow tonality infuses everything in its environment with a newly awakened sense of possibility.
The Blue Beyond (2011) almost eliminates the grid of urban restrictions entirely. Here space is infinite, and open to all of us.
Matrix Structure (2011) signifies a return to Foss's former interest in three-dimensionality. The abstract composition of wooden slats painted either red or black is so dynamic that you can feel its energy almost exploding.
In effect this show is an insight into an artist coming to terms with his environment— past, present and about to meet the future.
A bit too literal
Lisa Sylvester's paintings in the rear gallery employ varied fonts as design elements. At first you're compulsively drawn to the letters as text. But the difficulty in discerning a text persuades you to look at each painting as an abstract design within a confining grid— wrongly, I'm sorry to say.
The actual text in all the Sylvester paintings is taken from the poem Je Rame ("I am Rowing"), by the Belgian/French poet, writer and painter Henri Michaux (1899-1984). His work is quoted with such lines as "You have entered the house of suffering." Although Michaux never officially joined the Surrealist movement, Surrealists were his mentors for all the arts.
Sylvester has given herself a difficult challenge: turning a poet's words into a visual work of art. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she's not depicting the emotional depth of the poetry with all its metaphors. She is merely replicating the letters in a specific font; their significance lies elsewhere.♦
To read a response, click here.
Foss's exhibition of recent paintings plus one sculpture seems to be a reconciliation of the wide open spaces of his early life and education in Minnesota, Colorado and South Dakota, prior to his migration to Philadelphia in 1989. The space is well articulated and circumscribed by geometric lines defining urban culture.
Despite man's attempts, Nature prevails, and Foss confirms it. His multiple layers of paint extend behind the man-made urban grid, revealing various aspects of the natural world. Straight is the Gate (2011) recalls the first exciting view of a sunrise on new growth. Its yellow tonality infuses everything in its environment with a newly awakened sense of possibility.
The Blue Beyond (2011) almost eliminates the grid of urban restrictions entirely. Here space is infinite, and open to all of us.
Matrix Structure (2011) signifies a return to Foss's former interest in three-dimensionality. The abstract composition of wooden slats painted either red or black is so dynamic that you can feel its energy almost exploding.
In effect this show is an insight into an artist coming to terms with his environment— past, present and about to meet the future.
A bit too literal
Lisa Sylvester's paintings in the rear gallery employ varied fonts as design elements. At first you're compulsively drawn to the letters as text. But the difficulty in discerning a text persuades you to look at each painting as an abstract design within a confining grid— wrongly, I'm sorry to say.
The actual text in all the Sylvester paintings is taken from the poem Je Rame ("I am Rowing"), by the Belgian/French poet, writer and painter Henri Michaux (1899-1984). His work is quoted with such lines as "You have entered the house of suffering." Although Michaux never officially joined the Surrealist movement, Surrealists were his mentors for all the arts.
Sylvester has given herself a difficult challenge: turning a poet's words into a visual work of art. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she's not depicting the emotional depth of the poetry with all its metaphors. She is merely replicating the letters in a specific font; their significance lies elsewhere.♦
To read a response, click here.
What, When, Where
David Foss: “Fields and Structures.†Lisa Sylvester: “Text Essential.†Through April 28, 2012 at L. G. Tripp Gallery, 47 N. Second St. (between Market and Arch). (215) 923.3110 or www.lgtrippgallery.com.
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