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the color of my accent

I finally got up to Moma to see the Color Charts exhibition. The first thought I had when I walked in was how much our experience of color has been influenced by technology. Pixels. It’s as if artists have been reduced to pixels pushers in our use of color. Then it dawned on me that the rectangle (pixel) has become the primary gestalt in the last 60 years. The subtext of the show is definitely about rectangles, grids, and squares, or in the terms of the curator, charts.

What’s interesting is that the title of the show Color Charts: Reinventing Color 1950 to Today seems to imply that artists have been engaged in a radical project of color exploration or that our knowledge of color and the use of color has been greatly expanded. Actually I found the opposite to be the case. With a few exceptions, the artists in the show use color in a rather homogeneous and limited manner. But, I guess that’s the point standardization, mechanization, commercialization. For the most part color is the stuff for conceptual and perceptual games. The stuff of entertainment or decoration. The spice of consumption. An accent. [Read more...]


Posted by Gordon Fraser on 3/26 | tags: theory color review museum MOMA Exhibits- Exhibit-

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The Terrible Toll of Art Anxiety

In today's New York Times there is an interesting article entitled, The Terrible Toll of Art Anxiety. It specifically discusses the experience of collector looking for art to purchase but who are overwhelmed by not understanding the content of the work they see in galleries. There has been a growing gap between artists and those who collect and appreciate art. It is the same gap that exists between specialists and lay people in any discipline. This of course is not a new idea and people have been arguing about it for over a hundred years now. Fifty years ago it was the anxiety of the artist that was the major concern and their was much discussion of the anxiety of art or to use the critic Harold Rosenberg’s term in referring to art objects, “The Anxious Object.”

While this is a multifaceted issue with no one cause or solution, there are two issues I think would be good places for beginning a discussion. First, has to do with the artists, I specifically have in mind painters but this may apply to other disciplines as well, the problem here is when the theory comes first and the visual second. The other issue is the need to recognize that painting requires time. It is not like advertising that needs to reveal its message in 5 or 10 seconds. I think both of this issues open up great topics for discussion. [...more]


Posted by Gordon Fraser on 2/28 | tags: art-gallery times collecting collectors Discussion theory writing

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Despite Gentrification and Recession, Arts Continue To Thrive in Downtown Jersey City

Despite Gentrification and Recession, Arts Continue To Thrive in Downtown Jersey City

Jersey City, NJ – It’s been three years now since artists were driven from the Downtown Powerhouse Arts District, following a long and bitter dispute with billionaire developer Lloyd Goldman, leading many artists to abandon Jersey City in search of affordable housing and studio space elsewhere. Those that have stayed have witnessed an extended campaign of harassment and intimidation. 58 Gallery, one of the few remaining exhibition and performance spaces has felt the full force of this campaign, leading founder Orlando Reyes to significantly scale back the gallery’s schedule of exhibitions and performances. In addition, the recent settlement between Jersey City Mayor Jeremiah Healy’s Administration and Goldman paves the way for the demolition of the iconic 111 First St. building with its artist studios, galleries and exhibition spaces, to be replaced with two non-descript luxury high-rise apartment and condominium buildings. All these developments seem to portend an abandonment of the arts in downtown Jersey City. But don’t tell that to the hundred plus people who made their way to the Grassroots Arts Facility this past Saturday for the opening of Introversions, an exhibition of paintings by local Jersey City artist Gordon Fraser.

Introversions, an exhibition of 10 major new egg tempera and oil paintings and 20 watercolors is representative of Fraser’s recent work, and explores the fusion of eastern and western “old master” techniques with his post-Expressionist vision. For the last several years, Gordon has been experimenting with different recipes and formulas to develop a painting medium that captures and conveys a glowing sense of luminosity. Judging from the response of those in attendance at the opening, Gordon has hit the mark. The colors and the paintings glow on the wall, from the large canvases to the small watercolors, and collectors were keen to support this exciting and sublime work.

Introversions runs through Friday March 21, 2008 at the Grassroots Arts Facility, 143 Christopher Columbus Drive, in downtown Jersey City, one block west of the Grove Street Path Station. The gallery is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays from 3pm – 8pm. Established in 2007, the Grassroots Arts Facility seeks to be the “new cultural hub in Jersey City.” Incorporating approximately 10,000 square feet on four floors, the Grassroots Arts Facility is home to the Lex Leonard Gallery, Toy Eaters Studio and the Grassroots Boutique and Gallery. For more information on the Grassroots Arts Facility, contact Colin Comstock, 610 209-5059, learsenalav@gmail.com or Gordon Fraser, gordon@gordonfraserfinearts.com.

Grassroots Arts Facility
143 Christopher Columbus Drive
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(corner of Christopher Columbus and Barrow)

Opening reception: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 7-10 pm
Gallery hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 3-8 pm


Posted by Gordon Fraser on 2/13

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