Dans Papers - May 25, 2007 - Six East End Artists At Spanierman Gallery

While it may be a tendency to look for differences among art works by seemingly disparate artists, the real pleasure comes from discovering similarities. The current exhibition at East Hampton's Spanierman Gallery provides a showcase for explicating such commonalities (at least in four of the six artists' paintings).

But what's most intriguing, at least to yours truly, is finding an unlikely source for such bonds. Would you believe an iconic image of the earth as seen from the Apollo Mission in 1968? Which goes to prove that we art critics find inspiration from a lot of unconventional places. (In this case, it was Sara Gordon's recent slide show at Sag Harbor Middle School, based on Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.)

That striking picture of the earth, the first one recorded and conveyed to we mortals, stays in our minds even some forty years later. Yet this critic was somehow reminded of not only that particular image, but also the experience of seeing such an image at Spanierman's newest show.

That almost all the artists suggest a personal vision of the physical world in space, seen from a bird's eye view as the Apollo astronauts experienced, is a salient similarity. The fact that these "worldviews" are also abstract reinforces the idea that the earth's surface is indeed abstract as well.

The spatial and physical perspectives being the same, what does each painting signify about the artist's philosophical vision, specifically the nature of being and its causes? In other words, do the artists see their universes as having meaning beyond compelling colors, compositions and spatial qualities?

The answer is a resounding "yes." Alexander Russo's "Biogenesis" presents an arresting image of the evolutionary process, an irregular, circular configuration suggesting that this process is not perfect. Another work, "Process V, " is also misshapen, its earth-toned colors hinting at a figure lost in the world's development.

David Geiser's muted colors and rounded shapes seem closest to Mr. Russo's conception about evolution. But Mr. Geiser's concept also appears to be fraught with both beauty and danger, where physical catastrophe could erupt at anytime.

Carol Hunt's pieces feature pastel colors, unlike Mr. Russo's darker palette, yet they also attempt to catch sight of the cosmos. This time the paintings convey linear shapes often floating independently in space. Especially effective is "Morning Music."

Josh Dayton's "Cut Back" doesn't appear to be a view of the earth at first glance, but a little imagination goes a long way. Mr. Dayton's orange, black and white colors and tightly composed shapes evoke a controlled vision, but one that is nonetheless powerful.

Both Priscilla Heine's and Stephanie Brody-Lederman's worldviews don't possess the same kind of physical landscape as the other artists'.

Their visions appear to be internal instead, Ms. Brody-Lederman's pieces recalling a stream of consciousness. Or perhaps a recollection of times past, particularly childhood memories. The fact that the images appear to fade in and out also gives credence to the concept of memory and its often illogical structure.

Six East End Artists will be on view until May 28.