Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / “Dream Opera,” Mary Shah’s solo show at Rick Wester Fine Art in Chelsea, presents suavely dense abstract narratives that still unfailingly meet the visual priority of beauty. While the notion of an abstract narrative may seem paradoxical by its terms, if representation and abstraction are part of a continuum and not a stark dichotomy, the paradox isn’t too daunting to resolve. Abstract Expressionism, spiritual abstraction, and lyrical abstraction have long certified emotional and spiritual content in abstract painting, and opened the door to narrative as well. Shah confidently marches through it, and in fine style.
Tag: Georgia O’Keeffe
The OC: Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin and Florence Miller Pierce
Agnes Pelton,”Incarnation,” 1929 In the LA Times blog, Christopher Knight reports that “the kernel of a powerful idea resides within ‘Illumination,’ an exhibition of abstract paintings by four women who worked in the deserts of the American Southwest and whose careers pretty much spanned the 20th century. But the kernel […]