Anita Shapolsky Gallery
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Buffie Johnson, William Scharf, Yvonne Thomas, Rufus Zogbaum, and Wilfrid Zogbaum (sculpture)
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The Anita Shapolsky Gallery is proud to present an exhibition of artists following the tradition of Abstract Expressionism. Their collective vision brings us a compelling world of light, color, form, and texture.
William Scharf's paintings are narratives using elemental, primeval line. Using ancient shapes, and original symbols, such as the egg, spiral, and wing, Scharf is able to transform his creations into metaphors for Creation itself. The lines and shapes come to symbolize the source of Life and the essence of the natural process of growth and creation. His glowing colors swell with their own life and their liquid application portray other worlds, new, secret spaces furnished with lush plasma-like matter. Painting for Scharf was "... a continuous questioning with the hope that a question, at least may be convincing". His work shows us the search and evolution of the creative process.
The grand expansive swatches of color in Rufus Zogbaum's work, bleeds and fades mist -like, over the canvas. He explores the harmonies between the rich, sensual colors when they meet each other in different ways. The various methods of overlapping produce a shifting over and among different planes. The plunges into the depth of the canvas, and the relationship of light to dark, and cool to warm, allow Zogbaum to create universes of color.
Yvonne Thomas says "I don't believe in theory of color- it's purely emotional." The use of bright, saturated color characterizes her work. Following her intuition, she uses color to establish a structure for the painting, in which various abstract shapes jump over each other, through space, activating the canvas. While the Abstract Expressionists did not adhere to any one particular set of rules or definitions, the exploration of color, light and space which lies at the heart of their work, has continued to provide Thomas with a framework for her personal examination.
Buffie Johnson has studied feminine imagery throughout her life and seeks to reconnect the viewer with some of their forgotten energy. Drawing on ancient symbols with their roots in feminine power, Johnson's aim "…is to celebrate the position of women, not merely as childbearers, but as restorers of life and bringers of wisdom and consciousness". Her paintings depicting oversized flowers and plant life, serve as metaphors of the Great Goddess and the cyclical nature of life.
Wilfrid Zogbaum explores the Abstract Expressionist style in three dimensions with his sculpture. Zogbaum studied at Yale University and at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts and began his career as a painter. He later moved into using materials such as copper, bronze, and painted metals. His sculpture retains the expressive line but three-dimensional work allows him to develop the poetry of form more fully.
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