ALEX KATZ: BLACK PAINTINGS │ Timothy Taylor Gallery, London → 2 April 2015

“Tiṃʈi Têlr Gaḷri z plizd t priznt an xibišn v ny pêntñz bî Alix Cáts. Ɖ subjct v ovr 200 sôlo xibišnz n nirli 500 grūpšoz inṭnašnli sns 1951, Cáts hz bn onrd wɖ nymṛs retṛspctvz includñ Ɖ Ẇitni Myziym v Americn Āt, Ny Ywc, YSA; Têt St. Îvz, YC; Trnr Cntemprri, Māgêt, YC; n Ɖ Ggnhîm, Bilbâ, Spên. Ɖs z ɖ ātist’s sevnʈ xibišn wɖ ɖ gaḷri.

Cáts’z pêntñz r at wns fiğṛtv n abstract – hiz ljr-ɖn-lîf pwtrits n landsceps ofn lūmñ lj ovr ɖer obzrvrz. Hvr, in ɖz ny wrcs, rɖr ɖn filñ č frem, ɖ subjcts r asînd t ɖ mājinz, wɖ blac spês okpayñ most v č canvs. Ẇt z strîcñ abt ɖz ny pwtrits z bʈ ɖ depʈ n dvrṣti v ɖ blac pênt cntrastd agnst ɖ dṛmatcli stydio-lit figrz. Prizntd wɖn a wîdscrīn fwmat, ɖ figrz bcm bʈ siṇmatc n ʈiatricl, rzemblñ pfwmrz cōt mid-mošn bî a spotlît. Yt īvn wɖn ɖs fremwrc, č pêntñ stl mntenz Cáts’z sigṇčr cūl senṣbiḷti.

In 2000, Cáts crietd ɖ lj-fwmat pêntñ Êda’z Gādn, cmprîzd v a grūp v ppl agnst a blac bacgrând. Ẇl cmpozd yzñ ɖ sem tecnīc – ẇr Cáts frst scečz subjcts on hiz 16-inč bwdz (studiz) bfr dveḷpñ lj imijz on canvs – ɖz ny pwtrits r instd capčrd mmnts or fragmnts, ls stêjd n mr dnamic. Īvn ẇr tu figrz okpî ɖ sem frem, ɖr z ɖ dstñt sens ɖt ɖ subjcts wr nvr preznt in ɖ sem rūm at ɖ sem tîm. Ɖe r lost in ɖer ôn ʈts, ɖer ôn contemplešn. Ɖr z no bacgrând, no naṛtv, uɖr ɖn ẇt ɖ vywr brñz t č wrc. Ɖs z isnšl fr Cáts’z tnšn – ẇrbî ɖ lac v a sṗsific stwri ineblz ɖ vywr t cmplit ɖ picčr. It olso alâz Cáts t criet vri cntmprri imijz, az h stêts: I’m trayñ t pênt ɖ nâ. N naṛtv z a stwri, n wns y gt intu ɖ stwri it’s no longr in ɖ riyl preznt tens.

Ɖ ātcritc Bari Šwabsci rīsntli nôtd ɖt Cáts’z čýs v subjct olso contribyts t ɖ ôṗṇs v hiz wrc; hiz subjcts vrj on ṣlebṛti bt rmen fr ɖ most pāt unîdentifaybl, xpt in ɖ sošl grūp t ẇč ɖe ḅloñ. Ẇl ɖs bwdrlîn recgnîẓbiḷti mcs Cáts’z subjcts n subsiqntli hiz picčrz so dzîṛbl, srtn famiłr subjcts d rı̣pir, most significntli hiz wîf Êda, hūm Cáts hz bn pêntñ fr olmst 60 yirz.

Alix Cáts wz born in Brŭclin, Ny Ywc in 1927. Aftr grajuetñ fṛm ɖ Cūpr Yňn Ātscūl in Manhatn in 1949, h wz awōdd a scolršp bî ɖ Scôhīgin Scūl fr Pêntñ n Sculpčr in Mein. In 1968, Cáts muvd intu an ātists’ coopṛtv bildñ in SoHo, Ny Ywc, ẇr h hz livd n wrct evr sns, spendñ hiz sumrz in Lncnvil, Mein.

Ɖ xibišn z acumṗnid bî a fŭli iḷstretd caṭlog, includñ a convsešn btwn Alix Cáts n Ivona Blazwic, Drctr, Ẇîtčapl Gaḷri, Lundn.”

Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex
Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex

GAḶRI WEBSAIT


ĀTIST’S WEBSAIT


BBC – YR PÊNTÑZ


ẆT ĐE SE

Nicḷs Forist, BLUIN ĀTINFO, 2 Māč 2015
Joṇʈn Jônz, Đ GĀDỊN, 26 Febrri 2015


14/06/2015

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