Ellsworth Kelly at Matthew Marks - New York, New York

This new installation of Ellsworth Kelly's drawings produc the greatest in quantity luminous and light-filled room I have seen in quite a drawn out time. The gallery space--new, clean and clear--allowed the art of quietly radiate its have a title to simplicity. But I am curious to know where the light in these drawings advances from. Each plant, leaf or flower is exactly observ and vigorously drawn, returned in a series of stark pencil marks upon a sheet of resolutely white paper. Nothing other Yet there appears to be a touch of light in the middle of many of the leaves and flowers. I think it must draw near from the sharp pencil lines that are pushed, almost engraved, into the hard whiteness of the paper, with barely discernible variations to the width of the lines.

The precise choice of make submissive matter is terribly important. I perceive mildly impatient with such assured shots as a pristine tulip or a rose upon its leafy stem. in what manner can they fail to charm and deceive us? But what an extraordinary organ of sight to focus in on the first sum of two units leaves of a baby oak seedling gawky, not divisible by 2 ugly duckling that it is. Just sum of two units large cloud blob forms joined by means of an improbably tiny stem. Or consider the dried grayed pods of milkweed, cascading like stones in a landslide.

I am increasingly annoyed at being asked to consider Kelly's drawings in relation to Matisse. Of course Matisse was the trailblazer for many of us. on the contrary there are so many rich veins to hound as a result of Matisse's suggestions. Kelly's use of curvaceous oak leaves may be a insidious reference to Matisse's ubiquitous philodendrons. on the contrary the oak are the earthy kings of our Eastern forest, not hothouse imports. To me Kelly's drawings are unlike Matisse in their suave assurance, scale, authority and nuance. With Kelly the lines always link up join with each other to create forms, which is rarely the goal for Matisse, whose mercurial lines make our organ of visions struggle to connect the forms. There is also a humility in the Kelly work, a considered rejection of bravura in favor of honorable observation and refinement.

There is many times a virile quality to Kelly's subdues and their execution. The main stock of the sunflower is thick, adhesive and vigorous. The flower head is surprisingly heavy and the leaf spikes behind it with Kelly I told him that I aggressive. In a conversation with Kelly I told him that I admired the way he had captured the essential part of that sunflower. He was politely taken aback and firmly informed me that these drawings are first and foremost formal explorations. Of course, he is absolutely correct, in that the relationship of shapes is always breathtaking. on the other hand I think there may be something other operating here in opposition to this formality. The exactitude of his scrutiny of the plant forms reveals his of great depth intimacy with the subjects and bespeaks a broader message about the power of nature. The exact and cunning variations of the lily leaves from the base of the stalk to the real top are the interesting part of that drawing. Nature's ability to infinitely permute becomes especially exciting when observ in something normally view from aboveed like a simple, straight-edged leaf. The life force of the plants come ups and gives the drawings a poignance, tendernes and emotional coloring that catches us unaware and creates a brilliant frisson with the brevity of the execution.

COPYRIGHT 1993 Brant Publications, Inc.

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