"Ode to Spring" Review

Artwork by David Hansen

Artwork by Masaya Nakayama

"Ode to Spring" Review

   The Walter Wickiser Gallery Inc show “Ode to Spring” was a great success.  Artists Sarbani Ghosh, Masaya Nakayama, and David Hansen all presented strong works.  Tucked away on the third floor in the west side of Chelsea was a lovely collection of contemporary abstract expressionist works.  Many of abstractions feature hidden or obscured imagery of wildlife.  

   Hansen’s work transcends simple design and holds its weight as meaty original works of art.  The works are very labored over with layers of scratches, pencil marks, patterns and thick textured paint.  

There are lots of details to discover by spending time with the work.  Plant and animal forms are rendered with a gestural looseness that gives them a ghostly form.  In a way the works could be explained with this analogy, if Matisse’s works were sonatas, Hansen’s works are multilayered orchestrations.  The scale and depth of either doesn’t preclude it’s quality, as both the simple and the grand can be quiet delicate.  In addition to the fine delicacies, the works have the raw gutsiness of a DeKooning. 

While the show at Walter Wickiser Gallery Inc is over, we encourage you to visit the space for future shows.  Check out David’s website, and as always stay tuned daily to SharksEatMeat for all your art and culture needs. 

Review by John Aaron Coulter

Artwork by Sarbani Ghosh

Artwork by David Hansen