Philip Slein Gallery: Friday, 17 May 2013

Valerie Jaudon, Circa, 2012, oil on linen, 56" x 64"



Variations: featuring the work Arnold Helbling, Stephen Ellis, and Valerie Jaudon.


Reception: Friday, May 17th, 2013, 6-8 pm
runs through June 29th
 
Viewing nature through his singular vision, Arnold Helbling abstracts its forms and renders them with a distinctive palette featuring tones simultaneously soft and lush. These paintings can be read as both representational (microscopic views of cell structure) and as abstract (permutations on a somewhat refashioned grid.) Helbling's touch of brush to canvas both challenges and seduces the viewer

Stephen Ellis's work is bold and assertive, often with multiple layers which tend to work against a singular reading of the canvas. Yet this work is rendered with complete assurance by a hand that understands full well the attitudes and history of the New York School and expands the canon.

Valerie Jaudon makes work so exquisitely crafted that it almost belies its place in a field where "expression" is often defined by an emotional use of the brushstroke. Her brushstrokes do indeed carry emotion, but they are controlled by a rigorous attention to the formal elements of the painting's structure and thus the viewer must approach the canvas with an inquiring eye to become fully engaged. It is this formality which allows Jaudon's work to expand beyond the studio and the canvas to become part of our day-to-day environment. 


Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm  
The Philip Slein Gallery
314.361.2617
4735 McPherson Ave.
Central West End