Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / If the paintings in Mary Shah’s 2022 show “Dream Opera” suggested struggle from below against a resistant surface, her new ones in “Sunbird” – now on view at Rick Wester Fine Art and at least as impressive – declare liberation and ascent. Reinforcing this sense of breakthrough is a pronounced directionality, epitomized in Starlings (Jewel Street), whose arrow-like line zigs decisively to the left. The title presumably discloses Shah’s proximate visual inspiration. But, showcasing abstraction’s great virtue of allusiveness, which she is adept at harnessing, the painting’s imagery could also summon fish in the ocean, for instance, as well as birds in the sky.
Whatever is moving is doing so with purpose and determination, sometimes through shadows that may harbor threats. Other exemplars include June (Western Landscapes), Between the Light and Me, and Sleeping to Thunderstorms. This feature of directionality arises in most of the works. Exceptions are five predominantly white paintings – two oil works and three smaller watercolors, the latter apparently painted at Small’s in response to jazz. Yet even they resemble turbulent clouds that could abruptly implode or disperse. See, in particular, Theater of Air and Words Defy the Plans. In pretty much all of Shah’s new work, an overarching theme of endeavor amid danger seems to emerge.
She does not cancel out the possibility of stability or repose, which in this case seem to reside in beauty and technique. The surfaces of the canvases are invariably pristine and the brushwork confidently lilting, moderating the agitation of the line and mark. Several paintings – such as Paper and Cloud (Core Resonance), Lucid Dreaming at the End of the World, Mint in the Mind, and the title diptych To Bathe in a Petal and Sleep in the Sky (Sunbird) – may constitute conscious efforts to pause and reflect. Poetry, music, and nature are personal influences, and some of Shah’s work recalls the abstract landscapes of Charles E. Burchfield and the gently energy of transcendental painter Agnes Pelton, though it is more abstract, gestural, and subdued. At the same time, those existential and perhaps discreetly political ideas radiate, surely and compatibly.
“Mary Shah: Sunbird,” Rick Wester Fine Art, 526 West 26th Street, Suite 417, New York, NY. Through April 13, 2024.
About the author: Jonathan Stevenson is a New York-based policy analyst, editor, and writer, contributing to the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, and Politico, among other publications, and a regular contributor to Two Coats of Paint.
It’s wonderful to read this in depth review of Mary Shah’s ‘Sunbird’ exhibition. I came by to view this show last week. I was drawn into her lyrical space and the sense of light emanating from each painting. These works have stayed with me.
I also visited the gallery with Mary Shah’s work. I wish I had this review in hand when viewing the gallery pieces. I appreciate Mr. Stevenson’s insight and interpretation of each canvas and will surely apply his vision when visiting Mary’s next exhibit. Thanks for the wonderful review.