ANDREA SCHWARTZ

09.09.12

(with assistance from Maria Medua and RWM)



Art in the New Economy. Click Here.

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Andrea Schwartz Gallery: Patrick Dintino - Euphoria.

Review by Maria Medua: Make time to see Patrick Dintino's work on view at Andrea Schwartz Gallery (at their new location on 4th Street in San Francisco). The show entitled "Euphoria," includes oil on canvas paintings as well as mixed media pieces made from junk mail and wrapping paper.

The paintings range in size from 12 x 72 in. to 24 x 96 in. Most are linear bands of color applied vertically with a brush. Where one color transitions to the next, the artist blends the paint to create a visual effect that can be described as a glow or blur. Titles such as "Ascension," "Carnival" or "Skinny Dip" predispose the viewer to experience the work as Dintino intends. He is interested in how "we gain access to the fundamental sensual experience of growth and experimentation, which heightens our awareness of the connection between inner self and external forces of exhilaration."

One can learn more about the artist's backstory in a catalog produced by the Gallery entitled "Patrick Dintino: Spectrum Paintings." This booklet delves into the artist's work from 2000 to 2007. It discusses paintings like "Excavation: Tel Dor." A response to his experience on an archeological dig, the piece references the way historic periods are compressed into sedimentary layers. Further on, we discover a painting called "13 Billion Years" inspired by photos from the Hubble Space Telescope. Both are examples of the artist's ongoing preoccupation with the distortion of time.

His interest in music is also mentioned and perhaps has some bearing on the "Euphoria" work.

"Temple" (2012) is a long band painting offering a spectrum that includes violet, pink, blue, green, yellow, black, white and red. Where the colors meet you experience a sort of visual reverberation. While one saturated color precedes the next in a linear progression, the previous one persists in space, fading to an echo until the next color appears.

The artist uses a square format and generous amounts of yellow for the piece "Ecstasy." The portion of the painting to the far right, the final band in the sequence, is a sliver of blue-green. This segment is a piece of new information and is purposefully introduced to invite you back into the painting once more.

Dintino's work appeals to visual desires sometimes satisfied by abstract digital photography or video projection. However, in painting, color's potential to stimulate the viewer may be greater, or it may just seem so as a result of Dintino's stellar effort.

Review by RWM: Beautiful work that shimmers and shimmies. Stirring but does not shake in a psychedelic way. Nice to see the colorful visual mediations. Nice party at the new location with colorful art that startles.

Comment by AB: Good art; check it out.

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