Statement

In his fine, evocative exhibition of new paintings, Erik ReeL claims, in a statement, that he was inspired by Persian and Indian art, both in terms of design effects and mystical implication. But looking at ReeL's current crop of work, one immediately thinks of a different realm of artists who have mastered the art of deep lightness and joie de vivre , such as David Hockney and especially Raoul Dufy.

Like Dufy, the great French Fauvist painter, ReeL configures through his art a personalized and pleasantly detached view of teh concrete world, filtered through an easygoing abstractionist's outlook. Levity and sensual qualities blend in with the cerebral, art historical scheming in his art. While pleasing the eye at surface level, teh paintings also engage the mind i a flexible,dialogue, in which scenery and linear touches are fluidly combined. No wonder swimming pools and fountains are recurring motifs.

In his painting "Pool (in yellow)," the pictorial elements hover around a central notio, with a patch of light blue water, teh splayed lines suggesting a palm tree and other less discernible illustrative objects on a ground of mustard yellow. "Back Alley Treasure" benefits in a different way from ReeL's loose, light-handed touch. A geometric division of the compositiioin suggests a cubist view of architectural space, but the palette is playful and bright.

"Blue Fountain" balances its base of watery blue and other colors with a few sparse, floating lines and sqiggles, evoking rooflines and a fountain--hinting at reality, but only hinting. "Garden with Well (Tondo)" is a round acrylic-on-wood piece with bits of red on black ad calligraphic lines that appear like an ambiguous anecdote.

In ReeL's new work, the art appeals on its own terms. But there's something deeper to be gleaned, in the way that discreet elements of ine and color operate a s interpretive dance partners rather than as a cohesively connected parnership.

2 May 2002