Abstract Art

There was a time when abstract painting functioned in the homes of the wealthy as a provocation, when certain types of people used to set themselves apart in matters of taste and intelligence by their ability to appreciate marks on canvas that referred to nothing in reality. Many paid vast sums for such works, mounted them unframed on the walls of their lofts, and drew all kinds of complex satisfactions from seeing their guests not know what to make of them. Serge, a character in Yasmina Reza's oft-revived play "Art," is just such a person.

Why it matters that our politicians are rich: It's not just that the rich are unrepresentative of the rest -- instead, Britt Peterson writes, it's that being rich "can actually change how we think and behave—and not for the better. Rich people have a harder time connecting with others, showing less empathy to the extent of dehumanizing those who are different from them. They are less charitable and generous. They are less likely to help someone in trouble . " I'm afraid you have bicycle face: Latif Nasser on the phantom ailments of the past, like "bicycle face," which "reliably erupt...

Helen Frankenthaler, the lyrical artist who was a key figure in postwar American abstract art, died yesterday at her home in Darien, Conn. She was 83. A regular summer resident of the artist colony at Provincetown, she was known for creating abstract works using thin washes of translucent colored paint that soaked into her unprimed canvases, achieving qualities similar to watercolor - though often on a grand scale. If the technique, which derived from the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock, forsook absolute control, it made up for it in liveliness, as Ms. Frankenthaler...

Abstract art, minus the mystery Thank you for the wonderful article about abstract art and the two plays "Red" and "Art" (" ‘Art,' ‘Red': a question of belief," Arts, Jan. 29, Sebastian Smee). Smart and thoughtful, with many interesting insights - and bringing well-deserved attention to two of Boston's fine mid-size theater companies. JANET M. BAILEY Boston The article covered a lot of questions I have struggled with over the past 40 years. I entered MassArt in 1968 to study painting and felt I lost my way. Growing up in a blue-collar Boston family that had no interest in art, I was...

In Sarah Walker’s vertiginously expansive paintings, geological patterns, scabby organic patches, and angular networks of crystalline lattice are layered over bright orange lines traversing deep blue space. Up close you see that the forms of many elements are elaborated in intricate detail; they look as if they were derived from photographs made by specialized scientific cameras. These complicated, futuristic paintings are among the most impressive works in ‘‘Big Bang! Abstract Art for the 21st Century,’’ an exhibition at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.

Abstract art, minus the mystery Thank you for the wonderful article about abstract art and the two plays "Red" and "Art" (" ‘Art,' ‘Red': a question of belief," Arts, Jan. 29, Sebastian Smee). Smart and thoughtful, with many interesting insights - and bringing well-deserved attention to two of Boston's fine mid-size theater companies. JANET M. BAILEY Boston The article covered a lot of questions I have struggled with over the past 40 years. I entered MassArt in 1968 to study painting and felt I lost my way. Growing up in a blue-collar Boston family that had no...

Why it matters that our politicians are rich: It's not just that the rich are unrepresentative of the rest -- instead, Britt Peterson writes, it's that being rich "can actually change how we think and behave—and not for the better. Rich people have a harder time connecting with others, showing less empathy to the extent of dehumanizing those who are different from them. They are less charitable and generous. They are less likely to help someone in trouble . " I'm afraid you have bicycle face: Latif Nasser on the phantom ailments of the past, like "bicycle face," which "reliably erupt...

ROME -- Pietro Consagra, an Italian abstract sculptor known for his works in iron and bronze, died Saturday at his home in Milan. He was 84. Gabriella di Milia, the sculptor's wife, said he died in his sleep. Mr. Consagra was best known for his metal or bronze sculptures in abstract shapes, often reliefs suggesting the encounter of several figures. He also worked with wood and stone. He was among "those great artists who successfully sought to modernize Italian art," Gianni Borgna, Rome's top culture official, told the ANSA news agency.

NEW YORK -- Benny Andrews, a painter and teacher whose work drew on memories of his childhood in the segregated South, died of cancer Friday at his home in Brooklyn, his wife, Nene Humphrey, said yesterday. Mr. Andrews painted socially conscious works that addressed issues including the civil rights movement, the Holocaust, and the forced relocation of American Indians. Even in an era dominated by abstract art, he exhibited his work in galleries and won awards and prizes, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1974.

NEW YORK -- Benny Andrews, a painter and teacher whose work drew on memories of his childhood in the segregated South, died of cancer Friday at his home in Brooklyn, his wife, Nene Humphrey, said. Mr. Andrews painted socially conscious works that addressed issues including the civil rights movement, the Holocaust, and the forced relocation of American Indians. Even in an era dominated by abstract art, he exhibited his work in galleries and won awards and prizes, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1974.

There was a time when abstract painting functioned in the homes of the wealthy as a provocation, when certain types of people used to set themselves apart in matters of taste and intelligence by their ability to appreciate marks on canvas that referred to nothing in reality. Many paid vast sums for such works, mounted them unframed on the walls of their lofts, and drew all kinds of complex satisfactions from seeing their guests not know what to make of them. Serge, a character in Yasmina Reza's oft-revived play "Art," is just such a person.

Helen Frankenthaler, the lyrical artist who was a key figure in postwar American abstract art, died yesterday at her home in Darien, Conn. She was 83. A regular summer resident of the artist colony at Provincetown, she was known for creating abstract works using thin washes of translucent colored paint that soaked into her unprimed canvases, achieving qualities similar to watercolor - though often on a grand scale. If the technique, which derived from the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock, forsook absolute control, it made up for it in liveliness, as Ms....

In Sarah Walker’s vertiginously expansive paintings, geological patterns, scabby organic patches, and angular networks of crystalline lattice are layered over bright orange lines traversing deep blue space. Up close you see that the forms of many elements are elaborated in intricate detail; they look as if they were derived from photographs made by specialized scientific cameras. These complicated, futuristic paintings are among the most impressive works in ‘‘Big Bang! Abstract Art for the 21st Century,’’ an exhibition at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.

NEW YORK -- Benny Andrews, a painter and teacher whose work drew on memories of his childhood in the segregated South, died of cancer Friday at his home in Brooklyn, his wife, Nene Humphrey, said. Mr. Andrews painted socially conscious works that addressed issues including the civil rights movement, the Holocaust, and the forced relocation of American Indians. Even in an era dominated by abstract art, he exhibited his work in galleries and won awards and prizes, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1974.

NEW YORK -- Benny Andrews, a painter and teacher whose work drew on memories of his childhood in the segregated South, died of cancer Friday at his home in Brooklyn, his wife, Nene Humphrey, said yesterday. Mr. Andrews painted socially conscious works that addressed issues including the civil rights movement, the Holocaust, and the forced relocation of American Indians. Even in an era dominated by abstract art, he exhibited his work in galleries and won awards and prizes, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1974.

LOOK, Mom, Im a work of abstract art, my 9-year-old daughter, Tamzen, said, slapping the Neuberger Museum of Arts admission sticker on her nose. We had just made our way past Unprepared Piano, a temporary entry-gallery installation consisting of dissonant music, a grand piano, a piano bench lying on its side and a computer monitor. The piano had so intrigued Tamzen and my 11-year-old, Saskia, that both girls had forgotten to make a beeline for the gift shop. Instead, we sallied forth into the inner recesses of the museum, where more adventures in the contemporary awaited.

LOOK, Mom, Im a work of abstract art, my 9-year-old daughter, Tamzen, said, slapping the Neuberger Museum of Arts admission sticker on her nose. We had just made our way past Unprepared Piano, a temporary entry-gallery installation consisting of dissonant music, a grand piano, a piano bench lying on its side and a computer monitor. The piano had so intrigued Tamzen and my 11-year-old, Saskia, that both girls had forgotten to make a beeline for the gift shop. Instead, we sallied forth into the inner recesses of the museum, where more adventures in the contemporary awaited.

NEW YORK -- Gretchen Bender, an artist who worked with photography and film and whose work is displayed in several major museums, died Sunday of cancer, her family said. She was 53. Ms. Bender, who worked primarily in photography and film, premiered her first Manhattan gallery show at the Nature Morte Gallery in the East Village in 1983. Her early work was a combination of images from abstract art, advertising, and photography. Ms. Bender liked to explore gender role and sexuality issues, as well as the contrast between industry and the human condition.

ROME -- Pietro Consagra, an Italian abstract sculptor known for his works in iron and bronze, died Saturday at his home in Milan. He was 84. Gabriella di Milia, the sculptor's wife, said he died in his sleep. Mr. Consagra was best known for his metal or bronze sculptures in abstract shapes, often reliefs suggesting the encounter of several figures. He also worked with wood and stone. He was among "those great artists who successfully sought to modernize Italian art," Gianni Borgna, Rome's top culture official, told the ANSA news agency.