B E V E R L Y   E R D R E I C H

F E B R U A R Y   6  -  M A R C H   3  , 2 0 0 2

A B S T R A C T   W O R K P U L S A T E S    W I T H   E X C I T E M E N T

02/16/03 Works by Beverly Erdreich. Monty Stabler Galleries. Through Feb. 28.

        The elegant abstractions by Beverly Erdreich remind us that pushing paint around is more than pushing paint around if it is to have any real purpose. With incisive clarity Erdreich builds a momentum in her works that becomes a perpetual explosion of tactile vigor and graceful energy. Abstract expression begs for some kind of rapport between the work and the viewer. We have a natural tendency to "see" images in shapes and forms.

       A large, sophisticated work called "Celebration" presents a bright red, calligraphic shaped cluster at the base of the work. The cloud-like red and white explosion at the top suggests Chinese New Year fireworks. From an investigation begun several years ago, Erdreich paints "Color Music Red" and "Color Music Ochre." These compositions suggest music of Verdi and Sibelius, depending on the phenomenon called synaesthesia, the experiencing of hearing color and seeing sound.

        In several works the genesis seems obvious. "Play the Game" draws on the colorfully banded hockey uniform fragments which drift across an ice-white ground like pieces of a puzzle. "Rebuilding" at first glance looks like a red car coming out of the swirl and mists of a car wash. The temptation to see images that are not there remains hard to resist.

       Using the ancient and difficult medium of wax encaustic, Erdreich produces unique surfaces of warmth and translucency. In variations on the collage, Erdreich paints strips of paper and mounts them in swirls and curlicues over an abstract ground. "Mardi Gras" recalls the confetti and streamers of that celebration and "Seaside Retreat" arranges colored strips over the face of a curling wave.

       It is always a pleasure to see the work of a serious non-objective abstract expressionist like Erdreich. Using the broad fundamental principles of composition combined with an exquisite sense of color, she provides the viewer with insights that can suggest romantic excursions or stimulate intellectual exercises. Whether playing with pristine squares or waging combat with flamboyant ribbons of color, Erdreich's work is never dull.