Exhibition at Brian Gross Fine Art Explores Uses of Gesture in Abstract Painting

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Opening at Brian Gross Fine Art on July 1, 2010, Gesture is a group exhibition exploring various uses of gesture in abstract painting—ranging from spontaneous and expressive, to meditative and ritualistic. Featured artists include Donald Feasél, Robin McDonnell, Ed Moses, Robert Sagerman, Nellie King Solomon, and Amy Trachtenberg.

Donald Feasél, #29, 2009; 44 × 64 inches. Photo: Courtesy Brian Gross Fine Art

Ed Moses and Donald Feasél’s linear abstractions are at once minimal and dynamic. In Moses’s PYOL, bold strokes cut across raw canvas in thin black lines, drips and splatters, creating a web of kinetic energy. In contrast, works by Robin McDonnell and Amy Trachtenberg feature a more painterly approach. In her paintings, McDonnell applies layers of sweeping brushstrokes in complex hues to create dramatic compositions evocative of the forces of nature. Nellie King Solomon’s Rings 2 displays a balance of linear and painterly qualities, featuring thick dark sweeps of pigment dispersed sparingly across a sheet of mylar. In places, the deliberate rings give way to Solomon’s signature flows, and iridescent gold areas mingle with the black in microcosmic “geological eruptions.” In Robert Sagerman’s work, small ritualistic gestures accumulate to form lush, sculptural surfaces. For Sagerman, the meditative act of painting becomes a spiritually transcendent experience.

Whether they are utilizing negative space to investigate the expressive qualities of line, or employing color and mark-making in a more organic, painterly style, the artists featured in Gesture attest to the continued relevance of gestural abstraction in contemporary painting.

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3. Bay Area Artist Nellie King Solomon Exhibits at Brian Gross Fine Art
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