Art Commentary

"Homage to the Circle and the Square": Unusual Places, Spaces: Part 2

by Marion Wolberg Weiss

Esperanza Leon, Stone Sculpture

Last week's "Art Commentary" featuring Amagansett's Ocean View Art Center developed the idea that environment (in last week's case, a horse stable) has a lot to do with how we appreciate art. Sculptures by Jack Stone in his East Hampton garden also illustrate the importance of setting and its physicality.

Curated by Solar Gallery's Esperanza Leon, the small to medium-size works are effectively arranged around the pool and grounds, but the setting never seems crowded. This is no mean feat when we realize that installing sculpture outdoors can come with built-in problems.

According to Leon, one must consider scale. For example, an eight-foot sculpture sitting inside a room can appear like a dwarf when put outside, where there are no enclosures like a wall or ceiling. Then there are usually trees or a pool that a curator must contend with, making sure that vision is not obstructed. Finally, placement becomes salient so that there is meaningful flow between works. (Of course, this is true of all installations, no matter where they are.)

Even with some potential problems, Leon has done a noteworthy job, allowing the sculptures to exist in their own right as solitary forms while also becoming part of the entire environment. Contributing to this effect is the fact that the sculptures are similar in composition, structure and use of material: They are all geometric abstractions made of recycled wood recovered from Stone's furniture design company and covered with a minimal amount of colors (black, red, orange).

Although it's apparent that many of Stone's works have been influenced by well-known art movements including abstract expressionism, constructivism and even cubism (at least as far as this critic is concerned), there are recurring patterns that mark the work as original. Consider the shapes suggesting musical instruments (for example, a harp). And while the configurations are often circles, rectangles and balls, they are juxtaposed in a way to convey movement (recalling films by Hungarian painter/sculptor Laszlo Moholy-Nagy).

Oddly enough, Stone's various forms also sometimes resemble characters, making the viewer wonder, "Where are these shapes going? What are they going to do?" Thus, the interactions between the circles, half-circles and ovals somehow suggest figures having a conversation or planning an event.

Perhaps these interpretations aren't what Stone had in mind, but such meanings give vitality and life to the sculptures which allow them to avoid any possible comments that they are simply derivative.

Call Solar Gallery for directions and hours for this exhibit at 631-907-8422.

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