“In the Meantime…”

At Warschaw Gallery, San Pedro, Los Angeles

 

The world of the abstractionist painter moves from the realm of nonphysical, psycho-visual “ideas” to the materiality of physical execution. In some rare cases, it simultaneously ascends back into the ethereal space of visual ideation, though imbued with and bolstered by inspired artistic decisions and sensitive craftsmanship. Ron Linden’s new body of paintings, on view in a stunning installation a few blocks from the L.A. harbor, exemplifies this.

To be able to strip a visual statement down to the core, eschewing all extraneous elements, takes maturity and integrity of purpose. Paintings like Linden’s, viewed in a reverent gallery setting, arrest a viewer’s impatient, roving attention, entering directly into the bloodstream and brain. There they resonate with a tacit, almost visceral, sense of visual meaning—quirky, simple, yet strongly poetic.

© Ted Twine 2016