The advent of modernism in the early 20th century is often presented as a linear progression towards abstraction, with figuration giving way to more conceptual and theoretical visual imagery, as exemplified by artists such as Mondrian, Kandinsky and Pollock. A cursory look, however, demonstrates that even artists considered markers of abstraction, moved in and out between conceptual and representational imagery. Picasso, Braque, Malevich, De Kooning and Philip Guston are artists who often blurred these lines of demarcation and provided points of reference for later artists.
“The mash-up of abstract and figurative imagery has allowed for a richer, broader visual tapestry, where compositional concerns intermingle with personal narratives, sometimes direct; other times implied”, says gallery co-director David Eichholtz.
