Jack Tworkov
There is a lot of geometric work in Chelsea at the moment. It often happens that galleries in Chelsea end up having similar styles of work at the same time, despite the fact that forward planning cycles differ between galleries and most don’t tend to discuss detailed scheduling with each other. It must be just one of these mysteries of the universe.
The wealth of geometric work is very diverse in quality and one of the best of them is Jack Tworkov “True or False” at Mitchell-Innes & Nash gallery on 26th street.
Born in Poland Tworkov immigrated to the United States when he was 13. He grew up to become one of the founding members of the New York school which was the home of the abstract expressionist movement which included at the time, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Arshile Gorky. He taught art at many universities, colleges and schools, including the Pratt Institute, Queens College, Columbia University and Yale University. At the latter he was Chairman of the Art Department from 1963-1969 influencing many young rising stars including Chuck Close, Richard Serra, Nancy Graves and Brice Marden.
Although originally he was known for his very bold, gestural brush strokes and flame colors, in the 1960s he moved into more analytical and geometric form paintings. These are the works being displayed in this exhibition (1960-1975). The title of the show, according to the press release comes from a 1968 Tworkov quote: “True and False. Blind man’s bluff, hands outstretched in the darkness feeling, wondering what is true and what is false, because our life depends on knowing the difference.”
Standing in front of the canvases, I found myself drawn towards a hypnotic quality of the works. There is a depth and emotion to these abstract works that is very compelling. They appear very simple at first glance and perhaps a little mesmerizing, but I found them catalytic and refreshing the longer I stood in front of them.
This exhibition continues until February 20th, 2010.
