Dan's Papers - April 10, 2009 -

The current show at East Hampton's Spanierman Gallery has a perfect title, not only because of the works being shown, but also because of the theme that such works manifest. Many exhibits put forth a "message," but it's often difficult to figure out how the art conforms to the themes indicated.

Not so with "Light of Spring," although, admittedly, the theme is one that is subtle and subjective. In other words, it's a theme that not all viewers will perceive.

The "light" can be interpreted as a symbol, connoting insight and discovery, rather than as a formal aesthetic aspect of illumination. Thus, the paintings have as their purpose the idea of leading the spectator to a revelation that is at once both hidden and obvious.

These findings take some work since we, the viewer, must "walk thorough" the landscape to locate the "light." In many cases, there's a "path" that indicates the direction we should follow. If this theme suggests a religious meaning, so be it.

Take, for example, Ty Stroudsburg's oils on linen. Many of her landscapes feature flowers in the foreground that we must "wade" through to get to the background where a discovery awaits us. Consider, especially, "Evening Cloud," where the path to this discovery is on a diagonal, "Tree Farm" and "Zinnia Garden." There's no doubt that Stroudsburg's work has an acute sensual aspect to it when we directly experience walking through the blossoms. Yet the excitement lies in reaching our goal beyond the picture plane.

Deborah Black leads us on a path as well, especially in "Going Down to the Water," where a literal road begins our journey. Another work, ""Path to Bay," literally suggests that our fate is linked to this path. Black's "Keepers of Secrets" also infers that the trees themselves harbor insights, but then again, perhaps it's the walk itself, as we go from tree to tree, that is salient.

Priscilla Bowden's landscapes see the paths in a larger perspective since many are long shots. A bigger difference is the fact that the paths are not gardens or roads, but water instead. Thus, we must "wade" through water (or take a boat) to discover a secret place on the other side. Consider "Full Moon" and "Three Sailboats" as good examples. Even so, Bowden's "Tiger Lilies" and "Small Boat at Accabonac" are somewhat different in the approach to such a discovery. They feature flowers and plants in the foreground that, again, we must walk through in order to reach the water (path).

Susan Vecsey's landscapes also promise discovery, but in a unique way as well. There is no background/foreground composition to lead our eye to what lies beyond, at least on a level plane; there is only an intriguing horizon that takes up most of the space. Our eye, therefore, tends to look up at the sky, and that becomes the path, which we must travel. Vecsey reverses this experience with one exception, an image that appears to be grounded, with no horizon in sight. A white strip of land (or sand) forms a literal path to an abstract configuration that could be a field of flowers or waves. We want to know what lies beyond the shape; we must continue our journey.

"Light of Spring" at East Hampton's Spanierman Gallery was curated by Helen Spanierman and Terry Ross; it will be on view until May 4.