By Roger Green | For Lagniappe – Times-Picayune Newspaper | March 7, 1986
Group exhibition of works by internationally known contemporary artists; at the Arthur Roger Gallery, 3005 Magazine St., through March 20.
In a departure from its usual practice of exhibiting works by its own stable of talented artists, most of whom live in New Orleans, the Arthur Roger Gallery has mounted an exhibit of paintings, sculptures, drawings and collages by a group of internationally known artists who normally exhibit at the Andre Emmerich Gallery In New York.
The Emmerich artists, some of the brightest names in contemporary art, include Anthony Caro, Burgoyne Diller, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, John Graham, Al Held, David Hockney, Hans Hofmann, Alexander Liberman, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski and Larry Poons.
The quality of the work on view here is, to tell the truth, somewhat uneven. In particular, Noland and Frankenthaler – represented, respectively, by a large painted monotype and three small acrylic paintings – owe their prominence in international art circles to much stronger, more persuasive art than can be seen in the current show.
The fact that these and other minor works have been included in the group exhibit (along with some pieces that are merely sketches and/or smaller than the works for which the artists are best known) is disappointing but understandable, even inevitable – given what these artists’ works will bring in Manhattan compared to what the art market here will bear.
Yet the exhibit is still an exciting one, vibrant and even moving. The major surprise is Hans Hofmann, a German-born painter who is often commended as a teacher – his students include Frankenthaler and New Orleanians Ida Kohlmeyer and Robert Gordy – but less often praised for his own art.
The exhibit includes three paintings and two crayon drawings by Hofmann, whose style evolved through Expressionism and Cubism to Abstract Expressionism, using concentrated color to construct vibrating spatial effects. Two of the paintings are loosely executed landscapes on board, while the third painting (gouache on paper) and the drawings are more solidly constructed still lifes. Hofmann’s compelling works alone will repay a visit to the show.
Yet the exhibit has other attractions, not the least of which are Hockney’s photo collages. Like Hofmann’s still lifes, these slickly but sensitively created works reflect the influence of Cubism. But whereas Hofmann deals with static subjects in the manner of Picasso or Braque, Hockney portrays situations involving motion or change in the manner of Kasimir Malevich’s early Cubo-Futurism.
Particularly outstanding is Hockney’s collage “The Scrabble Game,” which includes multiple views of the wordgame’s board and players’ faces in various attitudes. In the foreground of this work is a rack of tiles, facing the viewer and inviting him to participate in the game.
The group exhibition is, then, disappointing in many respects but still gratifying as a whole. Being surrounded by even second-string creations by first-string artists can be a stirring experience.
