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ART IN REVIEW 'A Triple Alliance '; 'City and Country'; Leif Kath
Leif Kath Visually assertive for their modest size, the paintings and works on paper by the Danish artist Leif Kath are confined for the most part to a small abstract vocabulary: grids, rectangles, dots, wavy lines, blobs and calligraphic markings. But he makes eloquent use of these elements, alone or in various combinations. Circles resembling transparent bubbles in tones of gray form all-over patterns in several acrylics; in others solid-color dots suggest constellation formations on delicately brushed monochrome grounds. In one lively little piece red dots and blobs sprawl freely over an imperfect grid of red lines on a grayish ground. Several cut-paper creations of black or red combine wavy lines, blobs and loopy calligraphic lines to elegant effect. The most striking works here — including those made recently at the Tamarind Institute, the lithography workshop in Albuquerque — are a group of small etchings, some in color, that combine delicate lines with solid irregular shapes, more than a few apparently cued by the cactuses that abound in that region. In one work, black dots and maverick shapes of solid black accompany finely drawn circles, parts of circles, free-hand markings and tiny powdery sprinklings beautifully deployed on a white ground. In another treasure, dense strokings of straight and loopy fine lines wander erratically over a ground of irregularly spaced horizontals. Tired of the Big Picture? This show is a welcome oasis. GRACE GLUECK |
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