MICHAEL ROSENTHAL - ARTZONE 461 - RECEIVER

02.27.10

(with assistance from RWM and GETBIZI )

***

Michael Rosenthal Gallery : Jane Fine - Jolly Quagmire.

Review and images by GETBIZI: Optimistic is the word I would use to describe Jane Fine's show "Jolly Quagmire." As I walk into the main room of the gallery, the bright pinks, blues and greens jump out at me. Then looking closer at the work, I got a strong sense of war, conflict and destruction. My first question is, "Why use bright colors with such a dark subject matter?" Fortunately, I have an opportunity to ask Jane that exact question. She explains that the body of work was inspired by the current world conflicts (i.e. the wars in Iraq & Afgansitan), and she did use darker colors in earlier pieces. Though the wars continue, she does not allowing them to negatively affect her work as they did initially. Her new positive attitude is reflected in her latest pieces; hence, bright colors offsetting an unusually "dark" subject matter.

Review by RWM: Images and meanings come out of the chaos and turbulence presented in the abstraction. You'll experience a comfortable use of contrasts even though the images remind one of war. The destruction presented is also reminiscent of video games, but not all in good fun.

***

ArtZone 461 Gallery : Eileen Starr Moderbacher - New Small Paintings; UN-TITLED - Group Show.

Review and images by GETBIZI: Intimate, is the word I would use to describe Eileen Starr Moderbacher's show "New Small Paintings." Entering the Side Gallery, the first thing I notice are images of cacti on the wall oposite the door. And because the paintings are 8"x6" in size, I am compelled to walk across the room to view each piece. Beyond the visually uncomfortable pricklieness of the cacti, I am drawn in by the tiny colorful manmade article in each painting... a pink handbag in one, a two headed doll in the next (one in a yellow and the other in a sky blue dress), and a couple of toy ducks in another. Are these captured moments of painful childhood memories?

I have a brief discussion with the artist, Eileen Starr Moderbacher, and she tells me the cacti do represent some challenging recent experiences she endured. The articles in each painting do come from childhood memories and a few from not-so-long-ago memories, but the interpretation is best left up to the viewers as they will draw on their own life experiences to give the art personal and intimate meaning.

A group show of gallery artists, "UN-TITLED" runs concurrently in the main gallery.

Review by RWM: Nice group show of the artists we have been seeing at ArtZone 461 since their inception. One will find an impressive collection of art in a variety of mediums selected from the artworks of their regulars. A sculpture of a pointing hand announce that one has found the spot. There are also portraits, abstractions, landscapes, and sculpture.

Of special note is the new exhibit of Eileen Starr Moderbacher-- small paintings of the desert flora. Among the cactus, if one looks closely, one will discover the human artifacts left behind. One need be aware of the needles and of nature in general. We as viewers and artists have been there.

***

Receiver Gallery : Owen Schuh - Pythagorean Nightmare.

Review by GETBIZI: Mathematical is how I see Owen Schuh's show "Pythagorean Nightmare." An art contraption made of recycled/reclaimed materials-- wow, very cool! Where will the paint drip? How many times will new drips fall over previous drips? Will the drips clump in particular spots? If so, why? And more importantly how can this be determined from a mathematical standpoint? (Or can it?) These are a few of the many questions I ask myself as I observe the art machine at work.

Wind the small disk counterclockwise to turn the big wheel via many simple interconnecting actions & reactions between bicycle parts, an old door, funnels, a pole, dripping tubes, and a ladder attached to the wall above your head. Squeak, squeak... rattle... drip... drip, drip, drip; as a new one-of-a-kind piece of art is created on the material (I believe it is canvas) taped to the floor of the gallery directly beneath the contraption. Both physically & intellectually engaging.

Review by RWM: Amazing exploration of who is the artist. Machines may someday be able to interface with humans, but might they sell? Or manage? Or inspire people? In Orwell's 1984 machines wrote music. Will machines one day be able to create, not just duplicate, art? Here may be a precursor, the in-between, but the contraption presented needs assistance and repair work-- purposely imperfect. The images created conform to a style, but whose? Those of the artist or the machine? Most likely both. Interesting question being explored in that even though somewhat of an automaton, the machine needs the guidance of the artist. Or is it the other way around?

***