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.