Description
One of the questions posed by "Figuration/Abstraction" is this: "Isn’t all art an abstraction of what it represents, to a greater or lesser degree?" Look closely at Roger Shimomura’s portrait of a lady in Lush Life #2. A veiled woman stands on lava red ground underneath a dusky pink sky. The landscape is recognizable, not as a representation of an actual place, but in a universe of its own making. In this sense, figuration isn't divorced from abstraction: the content is just more readily recognizable. The cubists, of course, are front and center here, as well as Bay Area favorite Richard Diebenkorn. (JE)
Comments