The Easel

31st October 2017

EASEL ESSAY Alexander Calder and the Optimism of Modernism: Jed Perl in Conversation with Morgan Meis

The-Easel | 31st October 2017

In the view of renowned US author and critic Jed Perl, Alexander Calder remains America’s greatest sculptor. Easel Contributing Editor Morgan Meis recently talked to Perl about his biography of Calder (“Calder: The Conquest of Time: The Early Years: 1898-1940″) the first volume of which has just been published.

“When so many emigres arrived from Europe – artists, writers – the Calders were the go-to people even for those they didn’t already know… In a larger metaphoric sense that is part of what mobiles are about. The Calders loved dancing. On New Year’s Eve, the Calders would entertain their friends at their house in Roxbury, Connecticut, and they would all still be dancing wildly in the early hours. You can see the connection between that social dancing and the idea of a mobile. Mobiles are about a sense of community, a sense of connectedness, the relations between people, the way parts go together.”

Image: Alexander Calder Vertical Foliage, 1941 © 2017 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

24th October 2017

Louise Bourgeois: An Unfolding Portrait

Jill Spalding | Studio International | 11th October 2017

Metal spider sculptures secured Louise Bourgeois’ fame. It seems, though, that for large parts of her career, print making was the focus of her creative process. A survey show of these works on paper will help free her reputation of the “clichés miring her sculpture in rabid feminism.” Because of “their vigour, breadth and intuitive gesture, [they] release Bourgeois from her legend”. A video on the show (31 min) is here.

The Fearless Chris Ofili Enters His Own Personal Paradise Lost

Jerry Saltz | Vulture | 5th October 2017

Chris Ofili is an important painter. But his latest, widely reviewed, show seems plain difficult – four paintings in a gallery, displayed behind a floor-to-ceiling wire fence. Some explanations are lengthy and one critic admits “I don’t fully grasp this exhibition”. This writer thinks the show is “stunning”. Summoning up his explanatory powers he suggests the difficult-to-see works are about “venturing resolutely upon a new vision of reality”.

The Master of Eglfing-Haar

Sanford Schwartz | The New York Review of Books | 26th October 2017

Eugen Gabritschevsky was a distinguished Russian biologist until engulfed by mental illness. Confined to a psychiatric hospital he started painting.  What had before his collapse been the occasional drawing, afterwards became a prolific activity. When a new medication was introduced his art stopped, though he seemingly retained “a deep wisdom full of resignation.”

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