A Life and Career on the water inspire subjects in Odd Andersen’s latest show

For Norwegian artist Odd Andersen, maritime scenes are a subject very close to his heart and his latest exhibition of paintings in the show Life on the Water at the Trygve Lie Gallery in East Midtown reflect that.

It’s easy to see how such scenes became meaningful to Andersen as he has been exposed to many different bodies of water for a good part of his life. Andersen was born and raised in a Scandinavian neighborhood in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn. As a young adult, Andersen was drafted into the Navy and spent two years traveling on small boats on the Delaware River and worked as Dock Builder along the New York/New Jersey waterfront for nearly 30 years. Andersen’s knowledge and appreciation for life on the water was also built on the fact that his father was a merchant seaman in Norway which lead him to travel all around the world, including Antarctica.

Andersen’s paintings primarily take place in his native country and around the East Coast where he’s lived and worked his entire life. All of his works depict water in some form or another and effectively capture the essence an of the scene he’s portraying. For instance, one engaging painting titled Two Square Riggers features two large sailboats traveling on rough waters on a dark stormy night. The sky is filled with thick black clouds engulfing the blue sky that transition into a purple color as they get closer to the water. Andersen illustrates the struggle the ships face as they propel through the ferocity of the waves. Aggressive waters are also portrayed in a piece titled Western Norway depicting the steep, high mountains set upon a hilly landscape within the Norwegian countryside with free-flowing, narrow waterfalls rushing down the side and onto the land.

Norwegian Fishing Village by Odd Andersen

Other paintings in the show have a calming influence such as Norwegian Fishing Village featuring several houses built along the shore of a still river with several people standing outside with their boats ready to go fishing. In the background are smoothly curved hills and a blue-violet sky illustrate with lush brushstrokes to reflect beauty and serenity. Similarly, Brooklyn Bridge features the calm, turquoise colors of the East River as a steamboat cruises along underneath the iconic structure. The neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights can be seen in the background with the colorful apartments by the water and the beloved Jane’s Carousel along the Promenade in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

And in one triumphant piece titled Ship in Tow Dalzell, Andersen depicts the front of a cruise ship accompanied by two steamboats ready to make a grand entrance to its destination.At the Norwegian Seaman Church’s Trygve Lie Gallery, 317 East 52nd St., through Oct. 27. The gallery is open Tues.—Sat. from 12 p.m.—5 p.m.

Lynda Benglis Combines New Medium with Signature Style in Latest Chelsea Gallery Show

Many folks in the art community will undoubtedly agree that Lynda Benglis is one of the most celebrated and one of the most daring female artists to push notions of feminism in a once male-dominated society, especially as it pertains to the artistic community. Active since the 1960s, the Louisiana-born, Greek-American painter and sculptor garnered the most attention appearing in a print ad for ArtForum Magazine in 1974 looking rather butch as she poses nude wearing sunglasses and holding out a double-dildo at the height of the feminist movement.

Early in her career, she emulated Jackson Pollack’s style of splattering paint with a piece known as Fallen Painting where she covered the floor of a Soho gallery with paint to illustrate a woman who had lost her was and ‘fallen’ and was waiting to be rescued by a male figure.

Most notably, Benglis has always had an affinity for freestyle forms that come through in her poured latex and foam sculptures.

However, in more recent years, her signature works have a new element—handmade paper. This latest series of works reflect the feeling of the atmosphere of Santa Fe, New Mexico where Benglis has a residence.

And with this latest show, she uses the handmade paper to wrap around chicken wire and paints over the sandy texture of the paper with vibrant energetic colors like pink or electric blue contrasted with strokes of coal-based black, such as with paintings like Lurewhile other paintings like Curtains she leaves the paper at its natural white color.

Many of these installations are meant to represent living with the paper represent skin that’s being shed (like the skin of a snake or the hide of an animal) with the wire representing the skeleton of such creatures. The wires are exposed and have holes to convey the idea of air being let in. One intriguing piece titled Little Silver Spirit depicts the slender body of a woman, from her bust down to her toes, constructed in such a way that offers the illusion of her being a free spirit enjoying life. The circular forms in which these pieces are constructed also suggest notions of male and female sexuality and desire for power and dominance that Benglis often touches on with the shapes resembling vaginas and erect penises.

In addition to the pieces of handmade paper, the show features two separate installations. One of these is The Fall Caught, a 14-foot tall aluminum sculpture depicting a giant, muscular figure standing with his legs apart as he arches his back with his elbow against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.

The Fall Caught (2016) by Lynda Benglis

The other special installation in the show is Elephant Necklace, consisting of 37 handmade, medium-scale, uniquely shaped, black ceramic pieces laid out in a large circle on the gallery floor.

Benglis’ work can be found in numerous museums around the world including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and also the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Benglis splits her time between New York City, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Kastelorizo, Greece; and Ahmedabad, India.

Chris Semergieff captures the essence of Bronx and Yonkers in latest show

The Bowery Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by Chris Semergieff for an exhibition titled Plein Air Works. For this show, Semergieff presents several recent paintings of landscapes throughout the Bronx and Yonkers. Having grown up in New York City, Semergieff has always been interested in the urban skyline and relationships between light and space and the works in this show even with limitations in urban environments. He depicts the atmosphere with the same dedication that his inspirations like Albert Cuyp, Edward Hopper, Rackstraw Downes, and Antonio Lopez have done with their landscape paintings of the wilderness and urban life.

Steve's Train Barge Terminal West (2015) by Chris Semergieff

Semergieff depicts the rundown streets and daily scenery of Whitlock Avenue in the Bronx and the bridge where the 6 train runs routinely traveling along the tracks of the curved bridge with the big blue sky in the background with works like Whitlock Bridge, Whitlock Curve, Whitlock Spirals, and Swerve. He also captures the ambience below with images of smashed cones on the sidewalk and people riding bikes.

Other notable works like Steve’s Train Barge Terminal East and Steve’s Train Barge Terminal West depict the wide open space of both sides of a deserted train barge with water from the East River gradually flowing and dissolving on the dirt as trees, buildings, and bridges can be seen far out in the distance.

At the Bowery Gallery 530 W. 25th St., through Jul. 9. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Linda Carey's eloquent Italian paintings featured at Bowery Gallery

The Bowery Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of work by Linda Carey for an exhibition titled Italy in Mind.  As the title of the show suggests, Carey presents landscapes and still lifes inspired by Italy and Italian painting. The backgrounds of the still lifes are painted from reproductions of 13th- 15th century Italian paintings. Fragments of frescoes by Piero Della Francesca and Lorenzetti, and panel paintings by Sassetta appear behind a real space containing simple objects and raking light.

One notable work in the show titled Gourd in Grotto depicts a giant gourd very much resembling a pear with a long, curvy stem. It’s situated on a flat surface within a closed-off space with the fine buildings and hills of the Tuscany region in the background.

Another intriguing work known as Bellini Landscape With Deer eloquently depicts an animal (possibly a deer without antlers) standing tall and proud with its chest and head erect looking confidently out in the distance. By its front legs is a pumpkin and behind it are exquisitely gorgeous houses and towers saturated in a warm orange color capturing the beauty and ambience of the region.

Gourd in Grotto by Linda Carey

Carey also combines landscape and still-life with Plastic Apple, City by the Sea. As the title of the painting suggests, a granny-smith green apple can be seen at the bottom right corner on the right side of the entrance that leads to a big city which looks like a maze of tall, skinny buildings with pastel colors mostly sea green, lavender, light pink, and rose-colored set upon steep curvy hills like a magic kingdom of wonder. 

A similar painting titled Arezzo With Onions depicts a medium sized dark red colored onion next to a smaller reddish orange onion with the tall, white buildings of the charming city of Arezzo behind the two vegetables, as though a world of possibilities and adventure awaits.

An avid traveler, Carey has painted throughout picturesque countries like France, Ireland, and of course Italy. She lives and works in Williamsburg, Virginia and has taught at the College of William and Mary and participated in numerous studio programs.

At the Bowery Gallery 530 W. 25th St., through Jul. 9. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Philip Guston's abstract expressionist period highlighted at Hauser & Wirth

It’s about time somebody put together Philip Guston’s abstract expressionist paintings and mounted them in a show – and that’s just what Hauser & Wirth has done with its exciting exhibit Philip Guston: Painter, 1957-1967. Catch it if you possibly can, because it closes July 29 and is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event.

This ambitious show spreads in chronological order through four rooms with 36 paintings and 53 charcoal and ink drawings. It’s presented more like a museum exhibit than a gallery show. In fact, many of the works on display are borrowed from museums and private collections and are not offered for sale.

The exhibit is a dazzling display of Guston’s trademark style during this period, with bold forms and brushstrokes and a progression from vibrant colors to darkened hues over the years before he made his final pivot back to figurative art. But even within the abstract form one can often make out depictions of people, animals, objects, nature, and emotion, hinting that he had not completely left the figurative style behind.

Fable II (1957) by Philip Guston

For example, Alchemist (1960), has supernatural elements as it illustrates a dark blue moon subtly revealing a face as though representing the spirit of an ancestor watching over its descendants in the house directly below. Outside the house, a mysterious tall, skinny figure (an alchemist, perhaps) whose height exceeds the home, reaches out as though giving the house a blessing.

Path II (1960) is done in somber hues of dark greys, muted blues and black with a shape resembling a human figure on the left, similar to Accord I (1962), where dark grey and black swirls of paint engulf the canvas as traces of orange and sky blue peek out from behind. On the left side of the painting, a shape resembling a human figure wearing a rosy pink garment is bending its head, depicted as a dark red circle, and looking down. Other intriguing paintings include Fable II (1957), which suggests a woman wearing a ruby red dress and riding an elephant-like creature against a quiet backdrop of grey, sky blue and yellow.

Between 1967 and 1969, Guston did a series of charcoal and ink drawings where he makes use of fine form and and geometrical patterns, some of which are on display in the show. This exhibit, curated by Paul Schimmel, partner and vice-president of Hauser & Wirth in Los Angeles, gives well-deserved recognition to this phase of Guston’s career.

At Hauser & Wirth, 511 W. 18th St., through July 29. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. until June 19, and is on a summer schedule of Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. June 20-July 29.