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SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS

FIRST THURSDAY - 11.04.10 Part I

(with assistance from Meredith Winner and RWM)



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John Berggruen Gallery: Isca Greenfield-Sanders - Light Leaks; H. C. Westermann and William T. Wiley.

Comment by AB: On the first floor, vintage funk fest courtesy of William Wiley and Chicago artist H. C. Westermann. Upstairs, haunting gridded vignettes of kids playing soccer by Isca Greenfield-Sanders plus a fine rendition of a geyser blow with audience, all sourced from found vintage photographs. Worth a visit.

Art by William T. Wiley.

H. C. Westermann art.

William T. Wiley art.

Art by William T. Wiley.

William T. Wiley art.

H. C. Westermann art.

Art by Isca Greenfield-Sanders.

Isca Greenfield-Sanders art.

Art by Isca Greenfield-Sanders.

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Dolby Chadwick Gallery: Sherie' Franssen - Flesh Was The Reason.

Review by RWM: So much action it may be hard to parse all that flesh coloring. Fascinating abstracts that require forethought, but enter into the unpredictable chaos. One swims emotionally here again in the surf.

Comment by AB: Never a dearth of drama, dynamics, complexity or energy in the rampant abstractions of Sherie' Franssen. Stop on by.

Art by Sherie' Franssen.

Art by Sherie' Franssen.

Sherie' Franssen and her art.

Art by Sherie' Franssen.

Sherie' Franssen art.

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Gallery Paule Anglim: Robert Bechtle - Watercolors and Drawings; Ken Graves - Collages.

Comment by AB: New works on paper by Robert Bechtle-- vacant suburban Hopper-esque automobile-scapes par excellence. No matter how many times you see 'em, they never disappoint. In the side gallery, cogitate on implausible small collages by Ken Graves, so well conceived and executed, the vignettes actually seem believable.

Art by Robert Bechtle.

Robert Bechtle watercolor art closer.

Watercolor art by Robert Bechtle closer.

Collage art by Ken Graves.

Ken Graves and collage art in above image closer.

Ken Graves collage art closer.

Collage art by Ken Graves closer.

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Robert Koch Gallery: Yamamoto Masao.

Comment by AB: Muted meditative small-format photos by Yamamoto Masao from three distinct series, two earlier ones-- A Box of Ku and Nakazora-- and his most recent one, Kawa=Flow.

Photography by Yamamoto Masao.

Photographs by Yamamoto Masao.

Yamamoto Masao photographs in above image closer.

Yamamoto Masao photographs.

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Haines Gallery: Incidental Objects - Andy Goldsworthy.

Review by RWM: Andy Goldsworthy demonstrates attention to nature and natural products, an adoration of the earth and its bounty, and presents the outdoor experience as muse. It's fun to hang around the outdoors with this artist. Much is accessible, possibly to the detriment of the wild creatures that do not understand the visitors, even if inspired by curiosity. Goldsworthy utilizes the substances that make art possible in the wild, though some may be in short supply.

Comment by AB: Working drawings and related artworks-- process pieces, you might say-- by Andy Goldsworthy created in conjunction with larger scale projects.

Art by Andy Goldsworthy.

Andy Goldsworthy art.

Art by Andy Goldsworthy.

Preliminary sketch art by Andy Goldsworthy at Haines Gallery.

Andy Goldsworthy art at Haines Gallery.

Art by Andy Goldsworthy.

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Gregory Lind Gallery: Seth Koen - Narwhellian.

Review by Meredith Winner: Seth Koen's sculptures have seamless, intriguing and elegant form. At first I find myself trying to figure out how they were created-- There is no visible evidence that the gestural, wooden pieces were ever constructed by hand. It is almost as if they came into existence on their own. These odd little creatures come even more to life considering the exhibition's title, "Narwhellian." The reference to the mysterious arctic whale adds a level of personality to each organic structure along with a hint of humor.

Comment by AB: Finely worked sculptures by Seth Koen resolve about as perfect as perfect gets. They seem so easy and uncomplicated, that is until you start thinking about the levels of skill, precision, and attention to detail required to create them. Pick of First Thursday Honorable Mention.

Art by Seth Koen.

Seth Koen art in above image closer (photo c/o Meredith Winner).

Seth Koen & art & progeny at Gregory Lind Gallery.

Art by Seth Koen.

Seth Koen art in above image from the side.

Art by Seth Koen closer.

Seth Koen art.

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Brian Gross Fine Art: Ed Moses - wic wack.

Comment by AB: Yet another episode of mind-blowing abstracts by Ed Moses, these appearing to simulate fabric patterns perhaps, or maybe offset prints where the impressions from the different colored plates are all slightly out of kilter. Or maybe slap on a pair of 3-D glasses, look at the art and see whether anything happens. Dude's as good as ever... maybe even better. Pick of First Thursday Honorable Mention AND recipient of the rare and highly coveted "How Do Dey Do Dat?" award.

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Ed Moses art at Brian Gross Fine Art.

Pinkie cam detail of art by Ed Moses above (you figure it out).

Art by Ed Moses.

Ed Moses art.

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Fraenkel Gallery: Lee Friedlander - 1960-2010 or How I Got From There to Here in 100 Pictures or Less.

Review by Meredith Winner: Generally speaking, I am not unusually impressed or overwhelmed by photography exhibits. Photography is a very saturated field, especially now that anyone can take a black and white photo and call it 'art.' However this body of work by Lee Friedlander is different.

These one hundred photographs-- both beautiful and bizarre, organic and urban-- take shape as fragmented memories. An overwhelming sense of nostalgia attaches itself to each picture individually and also the exhibit as a whole. Unusual pairings of photos entice the viewer to piece it all together. The exhibit presents to us snippets of lives lived, yet with no concrete indication of whose lives, where or why. A must-see.

Comment by AB: Quite simply a superb half-century retrospective of Lee Friedlander's photography-- and one worthy of any museum. Pick of First Thursday.

Photography by Lee Friedlander.

Lee Friedlander photographs.

Lee Friedlander photos above closer (image c/o Meredith Winner).

Photography by Lee Friedlander.

Lee Friedlander photographs.

Detail of Lee Friedlander photo above (image c/o Meredith Winner).

Photographs by Lee Friedlander.

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Toomey Tourell Gallery: Robert Donald - Embody.

Comment by AB: Vivid color-saturated abstracts by Robert Donald have a fluid quality about them, looking at times like wildly undulating terrains.

Art by Robert Donald at Toomey Tourell Gallery.

Robert Donald art.

Art by Robert Donald at Toomey Tourell Gallery.

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Scott Nichols Gallery: An Illustrated View of Yosemite.

Artists: Ansel Adams, Carleton Watkins, Alan Ross, Edward Weston, William E. Dassonville, John Sexton, Anne Brigman, Isaiah W. Taber, more.

Review by RWM: Here captured by many is the beauty and grandeur of our most famous National Park. The photographs are monumental and splendiferous, describing how special of a place Yosemite is. There are sylvan valleys, waterfalls, and lone ancient trees. One can experience the majesty and wonder from afar in these evocative images.

Photographs of Yosemite-- these 19th century-- at Scott Nichols.

Yosemite photography - Ansel Adams photo left.

Yosemite photographs at Scott Nichols Gallery.

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Stephen Wirtz Gallery: Catherine Wagner - Reparations.

Review by Meredith Winner: fCatherine Wagner's images of various prosthetics shot against black backgrounds feel more like traditional still-life paintings than they do photographs. The beautiful yet strange objects comment on the fractured human body, the healing process, war and technology. A thought-provoking exhibition definitely worth seeing.

Comment by AB: Catherine Wagner tells me she accesses the haunting subject matters of her photographs-- medical devices and prostheses, both antique and modern-- from archives and repositories across the country. What are they all used for? To treat soldiers injured in war and hopefully help restore some semblance of normal life as they once knew it. Good show; go see.

Photography Catherine Wagner.

Catherine Wagner photo above closer (image c/o Meredith Winner).

Catherine Wagner and her photography.

Catherine Wagner photography.

Photograph by Catherine Wagner.

Catherine Wagner photographs.

Photography by Catherine Wagner.

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George Lawson Gallery: Stephen Beal - Recent Paintings.

Review by Meredith Winner: Stephen Beal's relatively small scale panels combine oil and graphite resulting in a textural effect. From a distance, the minimalistic works appear as color field paintings. Upon closer examination, however, the artist's methodical approach becomes evident. His meticulous application of medium is reminiscent of weaving-- each piece like a fabric swatch mounted on the wall.

Art by Stephen Beal at George Lawson Gallery.

Art by Stephen Beal at George Lawson Gallery.

Stephen Beal art in above image closer (photo c/o Meredith Winner).

Art by Stephen Beal.

Pinkie cam detail of art in above image by Stephen Beal.

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Modernism Gallery: Erwin Blumenfeld - Fashion Photographs; Maria Chevska - And.

Comment by AB: Glamour days revisited through the stylish fashion photography of Erwin Blumenfeld circa the 1940s through the 1960s New York, back in the days when America was great. In the middle gallery, enjoy Maria Chevska's bold brand of elemental text-tinged abstracts.

Vintage fashion photography by Erwin Blumenfeld.

Erwin Blumenfeld photographs.

Erwin Blumenfeld photography.

Fashion photos by Erwin Blumenfeld.

Erwin Blumenfeld photographs at Modernism Gallery.

Art by Maria Chevska.

Maria Chevska art closer.

Art by Maria Chevska.

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Addendum:

Photography by Mark Leibowitz at Micaela Gallery.

One more from Mark Leibowitz photography at Micaela Gallery.

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I know you must occasionally think about supporting the cause.

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First Thursday - October 7, 2010

First Thursday - September 9, 2010

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