AGAINST NATURE
Hard Edge Abstraction
www.graham1857....
September 11 -- October 12, 2013
GRAHAM, in Association with Abby M Taylor Fine Art, is pleased to present Against Nature: Hard Edge Abstraction. The collection on view offers a survey of the movement over the previous fifty years and examines the impression hard edge abstraction has left on the art historical landscape. Early examples of the movement are featured in the form of works by Leon Polk Smith, Howard Mehring and Sidney Gordin who demonstrate the monumental change occurring in the stylistic tendencies of the late 1940's and the development of a new visual language.
Hard edge abstraction emerged as a response to the prevailing style of gestural painting. Borrowing from the reductive qualities of cubism and the flattened compositions of color field painting in an effort to provide an opportunity to experiment with the architectural and geometric capabilities of the canvas. These core tenets are echoed throughout the subsequent decades and epitomized by artists such as Sir Terry Frost, Perle Fine, and Robyn Denny. Their work collectively embraces a formulaic approach to painting characterized by meticulously arranged, spatially compressed compositions meant to supplant the perceived spontaneity of gestural painting.
Included in the collection are several works produced within the last year which allow the viewer to trace the development of hard edge abstraction into the contemporary space. By placing the works of Corydon Cowansage, Russell Tyler, and Matt Mignanelli alongside those produced over the previous fifty years, the curators highlight the legacy of hard edge abstraction and how it has been re-contextualized by developing technologies.
Open Monday through Friday, 10:00 to 5:30 and Saturday by appointment
For additional information or to see works in the exhibition go to www.graham1857.com, or to request publication quality images, please contact info@graham1857.com