Near the River Painting

I believe a painting (story) must have an initial dramatic impact and at second glance should include tantalizing nuances of drawing (plotting) and gestures (conflict) to stay alive. I’ve been around a long time and have given much thought to today’s art market. I agree with art critic Kenneth Baker’s assessment of a recent show called, “The Passionate Gesture” at the Hackett-Freedman gallery in San Francisco, featuring first- and second-wave Abstract Expressionists. Baker says, “To this day the art scene still seeks our notion of explosive, unrehearsed paintings more aggressively than ever.” He goes on to reflect on how we action painters have achieved a “certain coherence against all odds that just won’t go away.”