"Counterpoint, a term that refers to musical harmony, explores how successive generations of international artists, from the 1950s to the present day, have articulated abstraction through series, creating interlinked works underpinned by a consistent visual element, such as colour, orientation, density or repetition. Counterpoint takes its title from the relationship between two or more musical lines in a composition that are played at the same time. Although dependent on each other to create a harmony, they remain independent in rhythm and melodic contour."
A dazzling show of colour and rhythm to delight the eye, expressed through geometric, optical and colour-field abstraction in this wonderful exhibition of editioned prints at Cristea Roberts Gallery on Pall Mall. There were familiar renowned artworks such as Sean Scully's stripes, variations on Josef Albers' Homage to the Square series, and his wife Annie Albers' geometric key design Meander. This design has been applied to textiles which I first experienced here and then most recently here at Christopher Farr last year (alongside some gorgeous designs by fellow Bauhaus lecturer Gunta Stölzl), and is one of her particular favourite designs of mine. The prints of Meander in this show have been subtly overprinted giving the design a delicate extra layer of texture. How wonderful to see the other colourways too. That pale blue version (below) is just as alluring as the red. The prints of Sol Lewitt also got my attention. The very large, Wavy Horizontal Lines (Diptych), really caught my attention with its lines of textural colour dancing along the picture plane. I first encountered the work of colourist Odili Donald Odita last year online and was mesmerised by his use of colour and pattern. How lovely then to be able to experience this new series of prints of his first-hand in this gallery. They are so vibrant, the colours create a sense of rhythm that keeps the eye moving across the image. They reminded me of my own Dazzle series which also play with dynamic geometric patterns and strong colour. Another new artistic discovery in this exhibition was the work of Carlos Cruz-Diez (1923 - 2019) whose work again references Kinetic and Op art, playing tricks with our sense of sight and perception as certain colours leap forward or recede as the eye moves across their surfaces. Displayed together as a suite they were especially strong visually. other highlights were experiencing Patrick Heron's prints with different hues of red punctuated with an amorphous shape of a contrasting colour, as well as the rare woodblock monoprints by Naum Gabo. This is a really well curated exhibition thoughtfully displayed where the artworks complemented each other setting up a dialogue about methods and styles of abstraction between established older and young artists.
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