Glee: Painting Now

Rating:
Summary: Glee captures the exuberance of contemporary art world
Review: The design of this book is as vivacious as the works in the exhibition. Glee is a brief but striking impression of the work of twenty artists who have embraced digital technology and are using it to refresh and revitalize abstract painting. In her succinct introductory essay, Cappellazzo describes how two of the twenty artists exhibited--namely Jim Isermann and Peter Halley--have been "primary sources" for the other eighteen. Both Halley and Isermann create works that are intellectually complex, yet visually so simple they transcend the limitations of art-historical categorization. By being included in this exhibition, Halley and Isermann, come across as not only a kind of art-historical reference but more importantly as energetic contributers to abstract painting in the new millenium. With Halley and Isermann as inspiration, the other eighteen painters foreshadow energetic new directions in abstraction. For anyone apprehensive about the future of painting amid the digital revolution, Glee is assurance that abstract painting is as vigorous as ever.