For those with reservations concerning abstract art, the David Shelton Gallery has brought together two Texas based artists, Al Souza and Jonathan Faber, in an exhibition titled Abstractions. With an abundance of works from each artist, ranging from oil paints and pastels to puzzle pieces and reconstructed paper, the exhibition demonstrates an interesting combination of mediums, and an educated exploration of abstract art. The exhibition will be open to the public through Dec. 5th, 2009.
Abstractions guides the viewer through the idea of abstract art, wherein the alteration of the original form by the artist, whether in the slightest or to an extent that is nearly unrecognizable, creates an object that often resembles the artist's own perception of the form more closely than the original. This is in opposition to most viewers' perceptions of abstract art, which is often more relative to the non-representational rather than abstract..jpg)
In his piece titled Head Horizon, Jonathan Faber utilizes an interesting palette to represent a narrative, wherein a head seems to float, only partially exposed and represented by a series of thick expressive strokes of dark hues, atop the surface of a body of water, facing in a direction dominated by a large sky of neutral violet tones which are underlined by a thin horizon of warmer hues. The warmer hues create an interesting visual barrier, as it cuts through the cooler tones placed within the sky above, and the water below.
It is interesting to see the manner in which the artist has chosen to represent one's mind. Such abstraction by means of thick, expressive lines functions quite well when considering the process one uses when remembering more troublesome events from one's life, wherein the memory is often abstracted to a point that it hardly resembles the actual event. The "muddy" hues used to represent the seemingly heavy mind, which sinks slowly toward the murky depths below, adds an interesting aesthetic which contrasts nicely with the surrounding hues, helping to give the piece a more active sense of movement.
The work of Al Souza adds another interesting approach to abstract art. One cannot help but look closely at his works on paper, which feature maps, comics, and other documents cut to pieces and reorganized with a fine stitching that runs throughout the surface of each piece. However, it is the large-scale works composed of sections of puzzle, and thick strokes of acrylic paint throughout the surface of the piece that are truly spectacular.
One cannot adequately appreciate the detail-oriented nature of the work, as seen in Souza's piece Love Birds Redux, unless viewed in person. Upon close investigation, one notices ample sections of puzzle constructed to represent the face of a woman here, a bird there, or a slice of watermelon beneath a female form. As small sections of puzzle are collaged with one another, the jumble of imagery seems representational of a vague memory involving a romantic evening comprised of food and leisure with a loved one. The cluttered placement of many puzzle images seems to play into the idea of a fading memory, held together loosely by an environment of images barely seen in one's peripherals during the event, and eventually convoluted by a layering of non-representational forms, as represented by strokes of acrylic paint across the surface.
For more information on the exhibition, visit: http://davidsheltongallery.com/
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