A Funkier, Feminist Form of Pattern and Decoration

Upon entering the spacious, welcoming environment of Gray Gallery, resembling a lively living room, it quickly became clear that Judy Ledgerwood’s exhibition featured four paintings whose sizes were influenced by the walls they adorned. One expansive piece spanned two walls, while two similarly sized works engaged in visual conversation on the third.

Ledgerwood’s innovative handling of formal elements in her individual pieces deepened my understanding of her exploration of size, from the angled linear grid of mismatched triangles that hosts a hand-drawn trefoil in “Vitamin C” (all pieces date from 2025) to the vivid optical effects seen in “Crepuscolo,” where various trefoils, some mirrored, are scattered across a unified backdrop. The contrasting works, positioned on opposite walls, prompted me to observe not only how the four paintings interacted but also how each one established its own presence.

I have always regarded Ledgerwood as a masterful painter whose work reinterprets the rigid structure of Pattern and Decoration, transforming its repetitive nature into an experience of spontaneity and discovery. One of the most striking elements is how she subverts the decorum typically associated with this movement into something whimsical, direct, and unabashedly bold. This recalls Willem de Kooning’s provocative nudes, their underlying misogyny turned on its head by Ledgerwood. The presence of quatrefoils and trefoils in her works serves as humorous allusions to female anatomy, akin to graffiti in a restroom. I once likened them to “Henri Matisse’s cut-outs […] transformed by anthropomorphized cartoon characters.” Yet, rather than exemplifying vulgarity, these forms are a heartfelt tribute to female sexuality. I am reminded of a statement made by painter David Reed to his dealer, Nicholas Wilder: “My ambition in life is to be a bedroom painter.”

“Crepusculo” presents a dynamic expanse of mauve quatrefoils intermingled with warped variations on an orange backdrop. In this piece, Ledgerwood has created an orange rectangle whose edges sag at the center, contrasting sharply against the tautness of her stretched canvas. With streams of orange and mauve running along the base, the irregular rectangle evokes the essence of fabric, reminiscent of the cerulean and yellow cloth seen lounging over a turquoise partition in Henri Matisse’s “The Pink Studio” (1911). However, unlike Matisse’s draped fabric, Ledgerwood’s portrayal exists purely in paint, drips and all. It seems the artist sought to extract this decorative textile from a harem—an intimate yet public space—into the more personal realm of the bedroom, where perception is personal.

Whereas disegno (drawing) is exemplified by “Vitamin C” and colore (color) by “Crepuscolo,” Ledgerwood deepens the discussion through the juxtaposition of two equally sized rectangles, “Alpen Glow” and “Golden Hour,” on the same wall. “Golden Hour” is crafted from a vibrant array of primarily triangular shapes in hues like pale pink, blue, violet, and orange, alongside solid lines and stained areas, integrating various currents of American painting—including Minimalism’s grid, stain painting, and Pattern and Decoration—into a feminist framework without coming off as preachy. Some triangles are oriented to oscillate between being flat shapes and the two facets of a pyramid, merging two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality. Lines of trefoils cross over triangles to form quatrefoils, illustrating how odd numbers can coexist with even ones. Certain trefoils cheekily resemble juvenile graffiti, while others exhibit the monochromatic shape of a cartoon rodent. This interplay of playful humor, exuberant irreverence, artistic commentary, and historical context intertwines seamlessly.

Ledgerwood’s trefoils are often rendered in thick paint, evident in the bold compositions of “Alpen Glow,” with some elements dripping. In the open expanse where two meet, a substantial twist of paint creates an evocative ambiguity that calls to mind Gertrude Stein’s erotic classic, Tender Buttons (1914): “Light blue and the same red with purple makes a change. It shows that there is no mistake. Any pink shows that and very likely it is reasonable.” Operating within a constrained lexicon, Ledgerwood continually uncovers avenues for visually rich experiences.

Judy Ledgerwood: Twilight in the Wilderness is on view at Gray New York (1018 Madison Avenue, Floor 2, Upper East Side, Manhattan) until November 1. The exhibition is curated by the gallery.