Stephen Westfall is a renowned artist known for his geometric abstractions that first gained attention in the mid-1980s. His unique style of setting grids against monochromatic grounds, with the grids askew, reflects his California upbringing and a sense of impending collapse. Alongside his art, Westfall has also been a prolific writer for Art in America and a curator focusing on geometric abstraction.
Recently, Westfall curated an intergenerational exhibition titled “A Planar Garden” at Alexandre Gallery. The exhibition showcases a diverse range of artists working within the realm of planar painting, a style characterized by crisp edges and a lack of gestural marks or tape. One standout piece is an untitled tabletop mobile by Alexander Calder, which sets the tone for the exhibition with its playful exploration of destabilized geometry.
Harriet Korman’s “Untitled” (1999) features interlocking curved forms in brown hues, showcasing her mastery of color in abstractions. Odili Donald Odita’s work incorporates scalene triangles and reconstituted black wood veneer, highlighting the diverse origins of abstraction beyond White artists. Joanna Pousette-Dart and Polly Apfelbaum also present unexpected surprises in the exhibition, with Pousette-Dart’s maverick shaped paintings and Apfelbaum’s glazed terracotta work “Block Stripes” signaling a new direction for the artist.
The exhibition also features Patricia Trieb’s “Torque II,” a mesmerizing piece with linear elements and curving shapes that invite viewers into a visual dialogue within the painting. In Westfall’s own work, “Summit,” he disrupts the field of overlapping triangles with a volumetric form, showcasing the ever-changing nature of geometry in art.
Overall, “A Planar Garden” offers a fresh perspective on geometric abstraction and the endless possibilities within the genre. The exhibition runs at Alexandre Gallery through February 1, curated by the talented Stephen Westfall.
