Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / The clash between Donald Trump’s nascent fascism and America’s liberal traditions, brought to a head by the murder of George Floyd and its aftermath and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, made the 2020 election the most important one since Abraham Lincoln prevailed in 1860. In this meanest of election seasons … read more… “The political imperative: Gatson, Humphrey, Williams, Worth in Chelsea”
Maeve D’Arcy paints the passage of time
Contributed by Patrick Neal / Taking in the paintings of Maeve D’Arcy, currently on view at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts, I kept thinking of the defunct movie rental store Kim’s Video that had long occupied Manhattan’s East and West Villages. These places were legendary repositories of arthouse films, and D’Arcy’s malaphoric titles hint at cinema, … read more… “Maeve D’Arcy paints the passage of time”
Two Coats Year-end Fundraising Campaign, 2020
Now that the presidential election is over and 2020 is drawing to a close, we have begun our annual year-end fundraising campaign. Two Coats of Paint began publishing in 2007, and this past year, thanks to your generous tax-deductible contributions and ongoing support from our advertisers, social media services clients, and the Two Trees Cultural Space Subsidy Program, we have … read more… “Two Coats Year-end Fundraising Campaign, 2020”
Ideas and Influences: Louise Belcourt
New York-based painter Louise Belcourt recently returned from a quiet summer in the country, where she completed new work, which is on view through December 12 at the Locks Gallery in Philadelphia. The series comprises collages on paper made with painted gouache shapes, infusing the curvy hard-edge simplicity of Matisse cutouts with the joy and … read more… “Ideas and Influences: Louise Belcourt”
Austin Lee’s muscular blankness
Something there badly not wrong –Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho Contributed by David Humphrey / The spinning rainbow symbol interrupts our screen time. Buffered and helpless, we pause with the device to wait, perhaps to sink back into our thoughts or to drift into another task. That rainbow, called by some “the wheel of death,” is … read more… “Austin Lee’s muscular blankness”
Rob Ventura’s germy expressionism
Contributed by Patrick Neal / In earlier paintings, artist Rob Ventura explored the anatomical and cellular characteristics of toxic flowers – a menacing subject that would lead to a parallel interest in the structures of disease-causing microorganisms. Ventura had completed new paintings centered on viruses, fungi and bacteria in the early months of 2020, and … read more… “Rob Ventura’s germy expressionism”
Vida Americana: A grand hemispheric embrace
Contributed by Jonathan Stevenson / The Trump administration has tried to physically cordon off Mexico from the United States, and presumably would just as soon exclude the country from America’s cultural orbit as well. From that perspective, the Whitney’s judiciously conceived exhibition “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art” is also slyly defiant. Most immediately, … read more… “Vida Americana: A grand hemispheric embrace”
Art and TV: Professor T, an extraordinary burst of mind
Contributed by Laurie Fendrich / Boy did the otherwise on-the-mark Guardian television critic Lucy Mangan get it wrong. In her 2017 review of the Flemish detective series Professor T, she dismissed the show as “thin gruel” with “morsels pilfered from the greats” (by which she meant such television shows as House, Sherlock, Morse, and Monk). … read more… “Art and TV: Professor T, an extraordinary burst of mind”
Noticing and being noticed: an interview with Lisa Corinne Davis
Contributed by Sangram Majumdar / Lisa Corinne Davis, whose solo is on view at Pamela Salisbury through November 2, is an abstract painter known for her engaging explorations of map imagery, codes, and drawing systems. Recently she has been thinking about the destablization resulting from Covid, politics, and the current cultural focus on race and … read more… “Noticing and being noticed: an interview with Lisa Corinne Davis”
Two Coats Selected Gallery Guide: Mid-fall 2020
There is a bit of urgency to get out and see some shows in the next few weeks because it looks like we might be faced with another wave of Covid and, thus, another lockdown. In related news, the election is underway, so don’t forget to go out and vote. Of course it goes without … read more… “Two Coats Selected Gallery Guide: Mid-fall 2020”