Henry James has a lot to answer for here in Santa Barbara. James' remark in "The American Scene" that California seemed to him "a sort of prepared but unconscioius and inexperienced Itally, the primitive plate, in perfect condition, but with the impression of History still to be made" has hung over Santa Barbara in particular ever since.

Labeling us an "inexperienced Italy" is at once a backhanded compliment and a direcgt challenge to California artists, who must now self-consciously take up that "perfect plate" and make a historic impression.

In his latest group of paintings and prints, "Painting on the American Riviera," Southern California artist Erik ReeL makes a convincing case that, in art at least, that impression has been made.

The strength of Erik ReeL's art comes in part from his extreme fluency in the aesthetic language of such great Modernist predecessors as Matisse and Picasso. In this approach, a consistent and deliberately restricted set of subjects allows for experimentation with color. In "American Riviera," the view from a romantic balcony somewhere in Santa Barbara is suggested with a handful of lines and lements: a palm tree, a mission tower and the marvelous framing device with in the picture of an open casement window. Contrasting fields of blue and gold establish the light situation and give the picture energy and emotional resonance.

In "Night Balcony," the light situation has shifted, while the strong vertical elements seen in "American Riviera"-- palm, tower, and window -- recur. The nocturne requires a different palette. This time, the dominant colors are red, blue and green. In a third canvas,  "Bay Balcony (Purple)," the focus is tightened as the color scheme modulates to purple and blue. Seeing all these pictures in successio is like hearing multiple versions of a classic ballad by an experienced musician. Variation, rather  than exhausting the topic, deepens its mystery.

In "Big Hearted Woman," a black figure on a red ground plays with the shape of the female torso, transforming the bosom into a Valentine heart. The effect, rather than being startling, is elemental, as in the widely known Matisse "Blue Nude II" of 1952. It is gratifying to have an artist in our area willing to aim this high. "Big Hearted Woman" achieves the elusive status of an icon.

Elsewhere in the show at teh Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau, ReeL offers two ambitious landscapes, one in "Vinland," in the Cubist tradition of Picasso, the other, "By the Sea," more Fauve in its use of color. These are great paintings that repay close and repeated viewing.

The Bureau, which features a different local artist on its walls approximately every two months, has chosen well by bringing the work of Erik ReeL to the public this fall.

19 September 2003