Opening Tonight @ Winkleman Gallery "Idée Fixe : Drawings of an Obsessive Nature" and In the Curatorial Research Lab "The Beauty Process"

Idée Fixe : Drawings of an Obsessive Nature
Featuring work by Man Bartlett, Astrid Bowlby, Jacob El Hanani, Dan Fischer, Shane Hope, Joan Linder, Aric Obrosey, Michael Waugh, and Daniel Zeller

May 6 - June 11, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, May 6, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Winkleman Gallery is very pleased to present Idée Fixe: Drawings of an Obsessive Nature, a group exhibition of black and white drawings by Man Bartlett, Astrid Bowlby, Jacob El Hanani, Dan Fischer, Shane Hope, Joan Linder, Aric Obrosey, Michael Waugh, and Daniel Zeller. The drawings in Idée Fixe either build toward or seem to disintegrate away from complex systems through what is obviously a time-consuming, perhaps even obsessive process. Running the gamut from highly photo realistic representation to abstractions that suggest imagined landscapes or fields, these works are created from intense, often repetitive gestures.

Man Bartlett, spiritus mundi, 2008, ink on paper, 18" x 24" (46 x 61cm), courtesy of the artist.

Astrid Bowlby, 11.1.07 (Dark Garden), 2007, ink on paper, 11" x 17" (28 x 43cm), courtesy of the artist and Gallery Joe, Philadelphia, PA.

Dan Fischer, Battered Nan Goldin, 2000, graphite on paper, 15" x 22.25"

Joan Linder, Black Weed (Front Lawn), 2010, ink on paper, 60" x 65" (152 x 165cm). Courtesy of the artist and Mixed Greens, New York.

Aric Obrosey, Turbulent Fond, 2006, graphite on Japanese paper, 30" x 39.75" (76 x 101cm). Courtesy of the artist and McKenzie Fine Art, New York.

Jacob El Hanani, Gauze, 2001, ink on paper, 23.5" x 37.5" (59.7 x 95.3cm). Courtesy of the artist and Nicole Klagsbrun, New York

For more information, please contact Edward Winkleman at 212.643.3152 or info@winkleman.com.

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In the Curatorial Research Lab

The Beauty Process
Featuring work by Nancy Lorenz and Jeffry Mitchell. Organized by Jay Grimm.

May 6 - June 11, 2011
Opening Reception: Friday, May 6, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

The curatorial intent of this exhibition is to prove that an intelligent sense of beauty in contemporary art needn’t preclude an emotional response to a work’s decorative qualities.

Consisting of a dialog between two artists who harness the initial attraction of ornament into something more lasting, The Beauty Process is an inquiry into the way in which this stance at once hinders and enhances the production of art that has meaning to contemporary viewers. The works of Nancy Lorenz and Jeffry Mitchell possess an initial seductive impact which gives way, over time, to a sophisticated, almost timeless form of aesthetic appreciation and demonstrates that true, lasting beauty penetrates deeper than the surface.

Nancy Lorenz uses traditional Asian art-making techniques in her work, such as gilding and inlay. The time-consuming methods result in lustrous, contemplative paintings, where the meditative mood echoes the slowness of their creation. For The Beauty Process, Lorenz has created a small-scale screen, consisting of 12 interlocking panels which are decorated on both sides. On one side, a dragon is depicted in watercolor over gold leaf; on the other abstract shapes which recall a rock garden arrangement float on a field of etched lines referencing the geometry of raked stones. The miniature screen, over 6 feet wide but just over 2 feet tall, brings to mind the form of a ‘tea screen’, used in the late Victorian era. These objects (used to protect table-top burners from being extinguished by a breeze) were often transformed from the merely practical through elegant decoration, becoming a focal point for an aesthetic experience, a very apt metaphor for Lorenz’ work.

Jeffry Mitchell will exhibit two ceramic vessels that echo Lorenz’ reference to tea. In the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, participants pass a cup of tea to each other, pausing from time to time to appreciate the beauty of the cup itself. Mitchell’s vessels, while much larger (and, because they are pierced in many places, not functional), provoke a similar response in the viewer. Inscribed lines depict floral forms in a loopy, charming manner, while a rich, glossy glaze invites prolonged contemplation. Mitchell will also exhibit a ‘Pressed Snow Flake Sculpture’, done with cut paper pressed between two pieces of glass in a frame. Mimicking the manner in which dried flowers are often displayed, Mitchell here tries to convey the fleeting joy of seeing a snowflake. At once childlike and humorous, the collage/cutting blends ideas of craft, design and beauty without irony.

Lorenz and Mitchell, close friends from the Tyler School of Art, have pursued their own vision over the course of their successful careers. Entirely cognizant of contemporary art, the two have advocated for the importance of beauty in a manner that may seem atavistic. The Beauty Process is an experiment to see how an environment where aesthetics is put above all other concerns is perceived in the heart of the Chelsea art world.

Nancy Lorenz, Rock Garden/Dragon Screen, 2011, gold-leaf, silver leaf, watercolor, pigment bole and gesso on 12 interlocking panels, 27" x 77.5". Courtesy the artist.

Jeffry Mitchell, Ohio Honey Pot, 2010, glazed earthenware, 10" x 10" x 10". Courtesy the artist.

For more information, please contact Jay Grimm at 212.643.3152 or jay@winkleman.com.