Blogger Paddy Johnson is correct that the heavies would not be paying attention to Ellen Altfest's semi-photoreal paintings if she were showing at a 57th Street-style gallery like Fishbach or (the late?) Tatistcheff, instead of the Williamsburg-to-Chelsea transplant Bellwether. Finally made it over to see this "hot still life show," the last day, and did find most of the canvases to be rather dully rendered snapshots of cacti, etc. The best paintings were the ones without clearly delineated subject matter--a log, a lump of driftwood, and above, a piece titled Gourd--bulging with near-Gothic accumulations of detail. The vegetable matter appears far gone in a warty state somewhere between advanced decay and an ergot-induced fever dream (Jim, in the comments, thinks it looks like a peyote button). One hyper-rotted urban interior recalled Chicago visionary Ivan Albright's work. Wish there were more of those. Looks like Altfest spent a lot of time on the work, and since the show is a "hit," expect her to be under a lot of pressure now to speed the heck up. Will she succumb? Hire assistants? Stay tuned for part two: "The Sophomore Show." (Actually this is her sophomore show, whatever.)
Update: Continuing to think about the "peyote button" interpretation. This may be that rarest of instances where an artist took the sow's ear of an inability to convincingly render volume and turned it into a silk purse of ultimate psychedelic credibility.
Not that it matters, but that's peyote (I'd say.)
I checked the website and it's titled Gourd. Her subject matter is pretty bland. If there is a psychedelic theme (other than in the painting style) Altfest has hidden it pretty well.
damn, you mean i licked the screen for nothing? well, at least its cleaner.....in that one spot.
It lacks the distinctive convolutions of Lophophora, & the tufts.
ok - i didn't see the show but these photos made me think that the artist was using the palette and referencing the shapes familiar to satellite photography, the quality of which you can download from g**gle. if they are really made of mold, which was my second thought based on the comment 'hot still life show' and interpreted as 'still live', then they are wicked. will they grow slowly off of the canvas? a map of mold! and anyway i may be way off the mark and i'm in california so landscape, landscape, landscape.
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Blogger Paddy Johnson is correct that the heavies would not be paying attention to Ellen Altfest's semi-photoreal paintings if she were showing at a 57th Street-style gallery like Fishbach or (the late?) Tatistcheff, instead of the Williamsburg-to-Chelsea transplant Bellwether. Finally made it over to see this "hot still life show," the last day, and did find most of the canvases to be rather dully rendered snapshots of cacti, etc. The best paintings were the ones without clearly delineated subject matter--a log, a lump of driftwood, and above, a piece titled Gourd--bulging with near-Gothic accumulations of detail. The vegetable matter appears far gone in a warty state somewhere between advanced decay and an ergot-induced fever dream (Jim, in the comments, thinks it looks like a peyote button). One hyper-rotted urban interior recalled Chicago visionary Ivan Albright's work. Wish there were more of those. Looks like Altfest spent a lot of time on the work, and since the show is a "hit," expect her to be under a lot of pressure now to speed the heck up. Will she succumb? Hire assistants? Stay tuned for part two: "The Sophomore Show." (Actually this is her sophomore show, whatever.)
Update: Continuing to think about the "peyote button" interpretation. This may be that rarest of instances where an artist took the sow's ear of an inability to convincingly render volume and turned it into a silk purse of ultimate psychedelic credibility.
- tom moody 1-22-2006 4:43 am
Not that it matters, but that's peyote (I'd say.)
- jim 1-22-2006 4:49 am
I checked the website and it's titled Gourd. Her subject matter is pretty bland. If there is a psychedelic theme (other than in the painting style) Altfest has hidden it pretty well.
- tom moody 1-22-2006 5:10 am
damn, you mean i licked the screen for nothing? well, at least its cleaner.....in that one spot.
- dave 1-22-2006 5:14 am
It lacks the distinctive convolutions of Lophophora, & the tufts.
- yer (guest) 1-24-2006 9:27 pm
ok - i didn't see the show but these photos made me think that the artist was using the palette and referencing the shapes familiar to satellite photography, the quality of which you can download from g**gle. if they are really made of mold, which was my second thought based on the comment 'hot still life show' and interpreted as 'still live', then they are wicked. will they grow slowly off of the canvas? a map of mold! and anyway i may be way off the mark and i'm in california so landscape, landscape, landscape.
- Kristin (guest) 1-25-2006 9:41 am