Pat Passlof’s works are currently on view at a Chelsea gallery for the exhibition Paintings From the 1950s. The show offers the late Abstract Expressionist painter’s classic masterpieces that created as a rising artist throughout the entire 1950s decade. Passlof grew up in New York City and studied at Black Mountain College where she worked alongside Williem de Kooning who was one of her most important influences and who introduced her to her future husband, fellow Abstract Expressionist painter Milton Resnick.
By 1951, Passlof became known on the New York City art scene while working at a studio on Tenth Street in Manhattan, and participated in several group exhibitions. Willem de Kooning, Milton Resnick, Hans Hoffman, Ad Reinhardt, and Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollack among others were all part of the budding Abstract Expressionist scene in New York. Passlof’s early works are vivid and tumultuous and inspiration from her contemporaries is quite evident.
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| "Chestnut Street" (1955) by Pat Passloff |
One poignant work from this show titled March Bird, depicts a small bird standing off the edge of a building or cliff while looking down into a stream of water, capturing the creature’s ambivalence about starting out on to new adventures.
In another work titled Theatre, we see a contrast in background color with sky blue on one side, overpowered by the magenta on the other side. In an intriguing piece titled Wall, the face of human figure can be seen shouting at an indistinct object. Passlof makes use of many colors such as light pink, pale yellow, gold, red, green, sky blue, and navy blue.
At The Elizabeth Harris Gallery, 529 W. 20th St., through Dec. 20. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 11 a.m.—6 p.m.
