May 01,
2002
5 in Collage at Lori Bookstein
by Judith Collischan
Cubist-derived collage
typically juxtaposes found materials and transforms them into works of art, and
in so doing gives them renewed meaning—a fabrication from the artist's
imagination. Although this show contained no surprises, it did demonstrate a
range of possibilities within the genre. Among the oldest and most engaging
pieces here was Joseph Stella's “Untitled” (ca. 1920-22), consisting of a
wrinkled, torn, nondescript piece of black paper mounted on cream tones, with
red-orange grounds that elevate the lowly scrap to esthetic prominence.
In a more traditional format, folded, tucked, and transparent planes move about
the surface of Janet Malcolm's sensitive, incisive inventions consisting of
snippets from old books and ledgers, published and private. In some instances a
sheer overleaf or a decorative inner sheet adds a touch of translucency and/or
pattern. Folds and edges provide directional thrust in Malcolm's nimbly animated
work. Henry Rothman, too, uses torn and cut papers, sometimes printed with
letters or words. These are presented in sophisticated formal arrangements that
are sometimes coolly analytical and other times pictorially expressive.
Fanciful illusion also has its place in collage and is beautifully represented
by Varujan Boghosian's “From an Italian Sketchbook” (1992), wherein images
of clothed and nude female figures coincide along an arc of torn paper. A few
printed words inserted on one side add another texture to that of the reproduced
and drawn forms. In contrast to Boghosian's sensuality are Ken Kewley’s
obsessive constructions of small pieces of colored paper, the most successful of
which are the simpler abstractions. Where Boghosian emphasizes the subliminal,
Kewley focuses on structure. The two capture the extremes of the emotive and
cerebral qualities possible within the expressive genre of collage, a variety
amply demonstrated in this small, poetic exhibition.