“Rosemarie Beck: Paintings, Abstraction into Figuration, 1952-1966,” Lori Bookstein, New York, NY. Through Dec. 1.
In the NY Sun, John Goodrich reports: “Rosemarie Beck (1923�2003) enjoyed early success working in an Abstract Expressionist vein, but it left her unfulfilled. Her 10 paintings at Lori Bookstein show the intriguing progression of her work in the ’50s and ’60s, as it evolved toward the figurative, narrative-driven work of her later years….Beck’s colors became more varied, and her forms more distinctly defined. ‘Robert’ (1965) is especially appealing � a fortuitous blending of careful method and eager observation. ‘Studio with Lovers’ (1965�66), too, boasts lively rhythms, though its complex meshing of opaque forms shows the intellectualizing tendency � of both compositions and subjects � that would increasingly mark her work. To my eye, the mythological scenes of her later years sometimes show literary impulses overwhelming purely artistic ones, but the paintings now at Bookstein catch the artist at a poignant point, when the act of representing was itself a wonder.” Read more.
