Anya Fisher: Soft Edge/Hard Edge

A N YA F I S H E R SOFT EDGE | HARD EDGE

A N YA F I S H E R SOFT EDGE | HARD EDGE

DECEMBER 1 - JANUARY 27, 2007 RECEPTION: S AT U R D AY, D E C E M B E R 8 , 2 0 0 7 | F R O M 5 - 7 P M 7 E AS T AN APAM U S T R E E T | S AN TA B AR B AR A , C A L I F O R N I A

In 1 9 5 9 , t he L os A ngeles C ount y M us eum o f Ar t opened t he s emina l exhibi t ion, “ Four A bs t r a c t Cla s s icis t s” wit h w or k by Los Angeles ar t is t s, Lor s er Fei t els on, J ohn M c L aughlin, Freder ic k H a mmer s ley and K ar l B enja min. While t he exhibi t ion w a s on t our in E ngland, cr i t ic, Jules L angs ner, c oined t he t er m, “ hard edge ” t o des cr ibe t he cr isp lines t ha t deline a t ed t he s hapes in t heir pa int ings. While t he pr o je c t s o f t hes e ar t is t s dif f ered s ubs t ant ially, t he impe t us w a s t he s a me. Their s w a s an ar t o f t he int elle c t – a cle an, br ight, re a s oned c ount er point t o t he dar k er, dir t ier, and more int ui t i ve w or k being pr oduc ed by t he ar t is t s o f t he Fer us G a ller y and by ar t is t s lik e R ic o L ebr un, H o w ard War s haw, and Willia m B r ic e.

By 1 9 5 9 , A ny a Fis her ha d a lre a dy re a ched ma t ur i t y a s an ar t is t. S he ha d t r a ined under R ic o L ebr un – t hen t he le a der o f t he L os A ngeles av ant - garde – in 1947 a t t he J eps on A r t I ns t i t ut e in L os A ngeles. His bar oque vis ion o f cubis m w a s emplo yed t o expres s humanis t c onc er ns – out r age a t w ar ’s a t r o ci t ies, c ommon indif f erenc e t o s uf f er ing, and, per haps, exis t ent ia l angs t. Fr om him, A ny a le ar ned t he

me chanic s o f cubis m, t he human f igure, and t he impor t anc e o f being c alled t o a lif e in ar t. Unlik e s o many o f his s t udent s ho wever, s he did no t a t t empt t o c ont inue w or k ing in Lebr un’s dar k s t yle. She had her o wn vis ion.

For s t ar t er s, her s w a s an ar t bor n o f jo y. Having be en f or c ed out o f her na t i ve Rus s ia by t he Bols hevik revolut ion and having landed in a par adis e o f s uns hine, moder ni t y, and oppor t uni t y, her out lo o k on lif e w a s de cidedly more pos i t i ve.

In t he ma t ure w or k f e a t ured in t his exhibi t ion, t he cle an, br ight s hapes o f t he Abs t r a c t Cla s s icis t s are reimagined f r om a f eminine point o f vie w. They are f r a c t ured and made de eper by her s t udy o f cubis t spa c e and c ompos i t ion. They are emplo yed t o c elebr a t e t he lyr icis m in t he f emale body and t he s ublime lands c ape o f Sout her n Calif or nia.

Inde ed, Any a’s c olor s s ugges t t he br ight light o f Los Angeles, where s he li ved and w or k ed f or her ent ire c are er. In her w or k, t he prev ailing t rends o f t he t ime are int egr a t ed; hard-edge s hapes and s o f t-edge cubis m c ollabor a t e t o cre a t e an ar t begun in t he he ar t and f inis hed in t he mind.

- Jerem y Tes s mer, Galler y Dire c t or

SUNRISE OVER BLUE HILS 1960s | 30 x 24 inches | oil on canvas

Sullivan Goss A N A M E R I C A N G A L L E RY

7 East Anapamu Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 730-1460 www.sullivangoss.com

COVER: WO M AN W IT H B I R D, N D 3 0 x 3 0 I N C H E S | O I L O N C AN VAS