Detritus: Tom Friedman at Lehmann Maupin
Tom Friedman’s solo show commands the viewer to look at the ordinary objects that fill our lives.
The exhibition explores both solitary subjects and elaborate compositions that create webs of focus
rather than a singular point of interest.
His cluttered compositions begin as photographs which the artist then works to replicate as paintings. Reflections and individual contours abstract during this process. In Detritus, the abstract stands next to the fully rendered, exemplified in spirals morphing out of other objects. The bird’s eye view gives a warped sense of scale and grandeur abstracting the painting further.
The paintings that illustrate singular objects also act as collections. Their details become pieces of a complicated group. Wise Old Sage depicts a crumpled up water bottle, unrecognizable at first due to its large scale and magnification. The over 50” x 40” painting requires the viewer to stand back for a full view, a clear demand of attention. Parallel white lines running down the work and light brushstrokes contour the form, seemingly abstract until a recognizable image forms.
The strength of this show is found in the detail of a singular subject and in the cluttered compositions painted at a grand scale. The ordinary is elevated by being placed at our feet, the only perspective in which collections can be fully seen and recognized as a sight to behold.
- Lucia Bautista HAD 472-02
*Revision*
I really liked how you described Friedman’s ability to make the ordinary feel monumental. The way you explained his process of turning photographs into paintings helped me visualize how that shift creates abstraction and depth. Your description of Wise Old Sage was especially strong, I love how you emphasized the scale and how it forces the viewer to step back to really see it. You captured that tension between detail and distance so well. I also thought your point about the “ordinary being elevated” was really insightful, it made me think differently about how perspective changes our sense of value in art. Great writing overall!
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