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Maslow Exhibition Archive Detail

Nontraditional Methods and Materials


THE MASLOW STUDY GALLERY FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Aug 26, 2008 - Sep 08, 2008

The current exhibition in The Maslow Study Gallery for Contemporary Art presents a range of works in various materials that were created through nontraditional methods.

The surface of nearly all the works in this exhibition beg the question as to just how the works were made. Or in the case of "Vein, Vain, Vane" by Edward Henderson, the overall surface at first appears to be painted in a traditional manner until you come to realize that the element of wood is not painted but is actually a piece of wood embedded in the canvas. Clearly a dialogue between what we accept as "real" that is painted, and that which is actually real is central to this work.

The printmaking processes and materials used by Chuck Close, Robert Rauschenberg, and Dorothea Rockburne resolve multiple challenges in order to bring their individual works to completion. Especially for Close and Rauschenberg each "print" may be stated as one in an edition of multiples, but in fact, given the nature of the processes employed, each print is essentially a unique work in a proposed edition of similar multiples, no two being exactly alike.

Tony Sorce has experimented with materials and processes since the mid 60s, initially with pouring and manipulating (and some times cutting away) polyurethane to form sculptures of varying shapes and size. And then in the early 70s Sorce began developing sheets of acrylic using Rhoplex (an acrylic emulsion) and pigment to a thickness of 3 to 4 mil. His finished work would result from the combination of folding, cutting and rearranging of selected sheets to arrive at a desired image. This final arrangement would then need to be adhered to a support of wood, canvas, or paper.

In his work, "After", Frank Owen creates a relief to the surface of his painting by first carving into a bed of plasticene clay, creating the negative, and then gradually laying in and building up his acrylic paint on this bed of plasticene, creating the positive. The positive thick film of acrylic must then be transferred to the support canvas where he finishes the work with additional painting.

Works Included

Chuck Close, Phl III, 1982, hamdmade paper, paper pulp
James Henderson, Vein, Vain,Vane, 1985-6, oil and inlaid wood on canvas
Frank Owen, After, 1982, acrylic on canvas
Robert Rauschenberg, Truth #35, 1982; collage
Dorothea Rockburne, Radiance, 1983, 6 color lithograph on transpargra, printed on both sides
Anthony Sorce, Untitled A, 1966-67, polyurethane
Anthony Sorce, untitled, 1986, Rhoplex
Anthony Sorce, Montauk, 1981-2, Rhoplex on board
Anthony Sorce, Rheims, 1974, Rhoplex on paper   



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