Cleve Gray at Berry-Hill - New York

Cleve Gray has been creating abstract paintings since the 1940s, and working in series--distinct themes taken through multiple variations--since about 1973. This exhibition drew on three groupings, "Richochet," "Reach" and "Fanfare," all from 2002. The "Reach" paintings are divided by a horizon line; a single calligraphic brushmark travels from the edge of the canvas to a point in the center of the composition. The "Richochet" paintings, meanwhile, are divided vertically, with vibrant brushstrokes moving in groupings from the top of the composition to the bottom. Finally, two "Fanfare" paintings, with dark black and red grounds respectively, are invigorated with thick wet-into-wet ribbons of color that overlap and blend into one another--wildly different from the elegant mark-making in the other two series.

The reconciliation of opposites has long intrigued Gray, who is influenced by both Asian calligraphy and the Chinese concept of yin/yang. This abiding interest underlies his decision to present these three contrasting series, side by side, in one exhibition. The painterly dichotomies of thick/thin, minimal/cluttered, horizontal/vertical, color/black-and-white were all represented. For instance, the painting Reach #2 is divided horizontally, with the bottom section an intense lime green, the top a pure lilac, and a single line moving from left to right in an out-of-the-tube violet. This sparse yet colorful composition has its temperamental opposite in Fanfare #4, a black canvas with thick and sometimes muddy strands of heavy paint dragged from top to bottom of the canvas.

The immediacy with which Gray produces his paintings is evident in these recent works, which at their best have a fresh and easy look. Gray now seems less concerned with setting the kind of lofty goals that inspired his Threnody commission for the Neuberger Museum in Purchase, N.Y., an homage to those killed in the Vietnam War [see "Artworld," Dec. '02]. Instead, he focuses on the color and materiality of the paint. He layers transparent washes of acrylic to create beautiful grounds, and, with a single brushstroke, is able to produce strong, clear lines that also bleed sensually into the canvas. Sweet combinations of chartreuse and berry red or light turquoise and royal blue attest to Gray's love of color. These recent series prove to be an inspiring lesson in painting.

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