And Now for Something Completely Different!

Philip Gerstein

Painting in several modes (or "styles") of abstraction, all at the same time, may disorient some people. It is though a huge advantage for an abstract colorist like myself, aiming to stay open, non-repetitive, fresh -- with each new painting.

Over the past months I took the opportunity to present my post-minimal cycle of paintings at some length (see e.g.: July 2021 "Sometimes There Is Bliss").

There will be a ready chance to view some of my other, much differently styled work up close, if you plan to visit New York or Boston, where I'm showing my paintings in two separate gallery shows this August.

"We Might Be Giants", 24in. x 18in. (61cm x 46cm), Oil stick, acrylic,
& mixed media on wood panel. Now at Lichtundfire Gallery, NYC.

In New York City, Lichtundfire Gallery (part of the Lower East Side art district) has chosen four of my paintings for their summer show "In Full Bloom". As the exhibition title indicates, they are showing work from my denser, more kinetic, color filled and landscape-facing body of paintings.

I am particularly excited for one of the paintings making its premier appearance. To highlight how special this work really is, let us compare it with its sister painting, "Master Stroke", created around the same time, on an identically sized wood panel -- both suffused with the optimism of their shared yellow background.

 "Master Stroke", 30" x 24" (76cm x 61cm), Oil stick, acrylic, 
and mixed textural media on wood panel, 2018. 

As attractive as the above painting may be, spatially, texturally and coloristically, you need to double that estimate for its non-identical twin. Its title, "Beyond the Idea of Rightdoing and Wrongdoing", comes unexpected but very welcome, out of a Rumi poem, while its encrusted texture and unusually concentrated direct energy endow it with a truly unique spirit. …It goes without saying -- not all paintings are created equal!

"Beyond the Idea of Rightdoing and Wrongdoing",
30in. x 24in. (76cm x 61cm), Oil stick, acrylic, pigment,
& mixed textural media,  2018-19. Now at Lichtundfire Gallery, NYC. 

I entrust it to your eye, the perceptive and generous reader, to fully enjoy it... and in the fullness of time to share with me a note of your impressions/feedback.