A Dialogue – Three Generations, Three Explorations
Vincent Mariani, Roi James, Andrew Anderson
Gallery Threshold, 801 W 5th #101, Austin, TX
Opening: May 9, 7-9 pm, open through June 9
Vincent Mariani, Roi James and Andrew Anderson speak the language of color through painting in A Dialogue: Three Generations, Three Explorations, an exhibition at Gallery Threshold, Austin, Texas. Influenced by color field painters and abstractionists these artists all experiment with color through basic geometric forms, yet each maintains a unique process for creating harmony, vision and expression in his paintings. Although the artists range in age from 31 to 82 this exhibition reveals a point where their artistic paradigms converge. Each painter has experienced a similar journey studying and exploring the possibilities of color.
Exhibiting work primarily from the 1970s, Mariani’s color-form compositions show a clear homage to his former teacher, famed abstractionist Josef Albers. Formal elements like balance and rhythm drive paintings that explore the interplay of color and light. While the study of color has been of interest to artists throughout history, Mariani’s simply formed abstractions give an intense focus to the interaction of colors. James and Anderson carry on that tradition – the artist’s timeless captivation with color, light, and hue – to create works that are ultimately about transcendence, harmony and order. Mariani, James and Anderson have found a kinship in their study of color and share a precise technique that leads the viewer into the beautiful, complex and meditative world of pure color.
About the Artists:
Andrew Anderson, 31, was born in Mexico City. At the age of 16, a visit to the Rothko Chapel in Houston inspired him to begin his work with minimalist abstraction through color. After completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Texas, Anderson has continued to work in a reductive style that highlights the harmony, depth and intuitive complexity of color.
Roi James, 47, has been exploring the formal elements of art through his Constructs series. By reducing his compositions to their most simple forms, James is able to create harmony and serenity from elements that are often disparate and chaotic. A prolific painter, his ethereal portraits, sublime landscapes and refined abstractions are displayed in many prominent collections throughout Texas and the United States.
Vincent Mariani, 82, studied under famed abstractionist Josef Albers. Mariani’s paintings from the 70s use a precise technique, simple forms and color to create unique and unpredictable compositions. As a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Mariani began working with holographic sculpture, sustaining his fascination with the endless possibilities of light and color.
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