Continuing through August 16, 2014
The intricacy of Catherine Colangelo’s geometric abstractions elicits the same captivating effect as the Indian, Persian, and Islamic miniatures that inspired them. Jewel-like, delicate, and executed with small, invisible brushstrokes, these gouache and graphite paintings on paper are defined by various shapes arranged in regular, symmetrical patterns reminiscent of those used in quilts, rugs, and other textiles. The edges are crisp and clear, the surfaces are flat like the hand-decorated illuminated manuscripts produced throughout the Middle Ages prior to the invention of the printing press.
Circles, crosses, squares, diamonds, octagons, and chevrons are arranged in regular patterns to create rhythmic effects like those seen in optical art, hence the title “Ocular Rhythms.” From a distance, the paintings seem to vibrate, while up close, the attention to detail is riveting. Colangelo gives some clues as to what inspired her — in “Double RR Crossing,” the “X” of the railroad-crossing signs is the main organizing feature. “Spiderweb,” “Birds and Kites," and “Kurta Flowers” refer to nature, with its regularly recurring symmetry and geometry. Her palette is warm but subdued, with earth tones such as burnt umber, red ochre, and cadmium red used in contrast to Prussian blue, gray, and black with accents of gold and silver. One exception is the dazzling “Kaleidoscope Patch” in which 12 large gold and silver diamonds dominate the picture plane, set off by four-pointed, variegated stars. At their center is the ancient symbol for wave, which also appears as a border in “Black Star with Wave.”
“There seems to be something deep within our human nature that compels us to ornament using repetition of shape and color,” Colangelo says about her work. These paintings make us more aware of the patterns and repetition that surround us every day, both man made and environmental. Perhaps it is part of our nature to want to make order out of chaos, because these precisely organized and executed compositions feel both appealing and calming.
