Karma’s posthumous solo show of Manoucher Yektai’s work highlights his significance in the New York School—associated with abstract expressionists like De Kooning, Kline, and Pollock. Yektai, a colleague of these artists, brought a European classicist sensibility to their burgeoning forms of abstraction, though he never reached the same level of fame.
The exhibit at Karma is a retrospective of Yektai’s oeuvre, from his earlier pictorial works to abstracted gestural landscapes. The gallery opens with six works from 1956-57, depicting his earlier representational style. The works feature bright colors and perspectives that flatten spatial depth, reminiscent of Cézanne; despite their more classical nature, in these works, Yektai was already beginning to explore the sculptural impasto technique that would later define his work. In a second room, a later series, painted during a trip to Italy, shows his brushstrokes becoming looser and more aggressive.
The final room displays Yektai’s series of 95th Street landscapes from 1958, fully embracing critic Harold Rosenberg’s notion of "action painting." Yektai produced these paintings by straddling floor-bound canvases and releasing all control over his strokes.
Four paintings near his 95th Street series represent the latter part of his career. These landscapes, produced in Bridgehampton, where he lived until his death, reflect a shift away from the city's erratic energy. The action in his work became more thoughtful, his brushwork more controlled, and his landscapes captured the tranquility of his later years.
This is a great response, and highlights Yektai's influences, painting style, and one specific series. While he has plenty of influences, as well as contemporaries during his time working, it's upsetting he never reached their level of fame for having similar work. I also like your highlight on his series of 95th Street landscapes, circling in on a small but influential part of the gallery. These landscapes are calmer, but still ephemeral; like all of his work. The only critique I have is for you to talk about color; he used many greens and whites in his pieces.
ReplyDeleteThis review is great in its structure. You clearly defined the layout of the space and the progression of style represented. I especially like your inclusion of the background knowledge of the artists and your specific choice of diction when describing the works. While it is clear through your review that you enjoyed this exhibition, I would add one sentence that clearly states this fact or at least highlights it. This might help your review be clearer as an opinion-based text rather than a summary of the exhibition itself. Again all your evidence is there I would just also include a clearer thesis.
ReplyDeleteThis review is a great description of Yektai’s Landscapes. It begins with forming a thorough sense of his background and his association with the Abstract Expressionist movement. I think it’s important that you stated how he was involved in this but never quite received the same amount of acknowledgement for his artistic contributions. I also like how you explained the transitions towards his gestural action painting, shown in the final room. Even further with the mention of how his latest landscapes felt a shift in energy as he finally moved away from the city. The only thing I would add is a closer description of the colors he used so that readers can have a better idea of what his work looks like. Other than that it reads as very fluid and insightful.
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