by Mark Diederichsen
Social Satire and Domestic Tranquility:
The Graphic Works of Zara Kriegstein and Phyllis Sloane
Opening Reception April 7th 6 – 9pm at the First Thursday Artwalk
Show runs April 8 – May 27, 2011 at Gallery Neuartig, 366 West 7th Street, San Pedro
In a world of social noise and political swings we are often overwhelmed with the contrasts before us. On one hand we are intrigued by the tangled milieu of society, and on the other hand we often search for sanctuary from the barrage of distractions in life. The current show at Gallery Neuartig in San Pedro explores these opposite views in the work of two accomplished women artists, Zara Kriegstein and Phyllis Sloane.
Zara Kriegstein’s art reveals her cutting satire of many social conventions, rituals and institutions, in pictures that display her German expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeir (new objectivity) roots mixed with an influence of Mexican magic realism, and blended with her own unique panache. After first earning her masters in art from the Academy of Art in West Berlin, and thoroughly immersing herself in the work of Dix, Grosz, and Beckman, Kriegstein went on to travel through Italy, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Malaysia, and Mexico, absorbing the art and customs of diverse cultures. The Mexican artists, Orozco, Rivera and Siqueiros, struck a chord with Kriegstein and noticeably changed the direction of her art, particularly in the numerous large mural commissions (her “Amnesty Mural” was displayed for a while at Robert Berman’s B-1 Gallery in Santa Monica, California). Kriegstein’s work has been shown in 13 solo exhibitions, 19 group exhibitions, and is in 6 university and museum permanent collections. Most of Kriegstein’s murals are still extant, including several in New Mexico state government buildings. Most recently, Kriegstein was an artist in residence at the 18th Street Art Center in Santa Monica.
Phyllis Sloane’s art explores domestic tranquility, expressed through the poetic harmony of precise, minimal lines, flat color fields and decorative patterns, depicting the human form, arranged still lifes, and urban landscapes. Earning her Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Sloane first established herself as a major figure in Cleveland’s art circles. After relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Sloane studied with artists Wayne Thiebaud, Gregory Gillespie, and master printmaker Ken Tyler. Many of Sloane’s still lifes contain small tourist souvenirs, such as matchbooks, postcards, etc., with art by famous artists reproduced on them, such as Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard and Henri Matisse, and these she has included in the compositions as homage to various artists who had great influence on the art world at large. Aside from obvious historical artists, several contemporary artists were a greater influence in the development of Sloane’s personal style. The modes of Alex Katz and David Hockney are particularly discernable in her work. Sloane has shown in 24 solo exhibitions, 70 group exhibitions, and her work is in 40 corporate, university and museum permanent collections. She first exhibited in California at the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.
I first met Zara Kriegstein at the opening reception for an exhibition called “Paradise Lost”, showing work by two women artists at the Las Vegas Art Museum in 1997, Zara being one of the artists and Suz Brna being the other. Zara’s paintings had an instant impact as soon as you saw them: big, bold, and full of energy, joy and angst. Zara’s work was also included in two more shows at the same museum a couple of years later.
"Still Life with Red Pear" by Phyllis Sloane
Shortly after that third exhibit, I had the great fortune to stay in Zara’s guesthouse on one of my many trips to Santa Fe. At the time she was living in an historic old adobe on Aqua Fria Street. Entering her front room was a surreal experience, with overgrown tropical plants and figurative sculptures emerging from the walls, another life-size sculpture reaching out, and very odd collections of mysterious items scattered about, some strategically placed to cause bewilderment. The room was actually very fitting for Zara’s own demeanor and appearance, which was like that of a “Russian countess,” as the artist Eli Levin (our mutual friend), aptly described his first impression of her.
At that time, her studio was in a large building at the back of the lot behind the small guest house, and was large enough for her to work on mural projects using gigantic rolls of canvas that would then be sent to their installation locations for mounting. The back of the studio was perched on the edge of a bluff overlooking the Santa Fe River gorge on the West side of the city. In a very small area behind the studio she kept chickens, ducks and a turkey. We would spend evenings playing poker, telling stories, laughing and drinking in the house, or sitting out on the patio smoking her husband Philipe’s Cuban cigars.
I first met Phyllis Sloane at the studio of modernist painter/printmaker Joel Greene, on the southern outskirts of Santa Fe. Half of Joel’s studio is a traditional intaglio print shop where a handful of other artists are invited to print editions of their etchings. The occasion of the visit was to look at new paintings by Joel for possible inclusion in an exhibition we were organizing for a group of New Mexico artists to be shown at the art museum in Las Vegas, and also for a future monograph of his work. Phyllis happened to be there that day working in the print shop and was in the middle of pulling the second color on a multi-plate color aquatint when we arrived (Sloane’s paintings were also included in the Las Vegas exhibition). After analyzing Joel’s paintings, the visit evolved into an enlightening conversation of Phyllis’s printing techniques and subject matter. Her command of multiple printing techniques is both remarkable and ingenious. Aside from etchings and aquatints, she also made many editions of drypoints, engravings, color lithographs, serigraphs (silkscreens), woodcuts and linoleum cuts. Plus, most intriguingly, she experimented with obscure printing techniques, such as cork prints and heat transfer, examples of which are shown in the current exhibit.
"Bird in Box" by Phyllis Sloane
On later trips I had several opportunities to visit Phyllis at her home studio, which included her own intaglio printing press. But the bonus of visiting her there was finding out that not only was she an artist, but also an avid art collector. The house was filled with an eclectic mix of mid-century modern art, Mexican folk art and interesting bric-a-brac from around the world. Many of the objects were used as props in her still life compositions. On the walls were numerous original etchings, lithographs and drawings by very notable modernists, some of whom she knew and studied with, and reflected her appreciation of elegant lines and compelling compositions. Apart from the works on paper in the collection, there were two very interesting oil paintings by Roy Lichtenstein that she kept in the studio. These were not the hard-edged comics-themed pop art that made Lichtenstein world famous, but rather earlier historic works made before then, when he was still experimenting with abstract expressionism.
Though at first it may seem that the works of these two artists are in completely separate classifications of genre (and, admittedly, they are), the deep personal insight and sincere dedication to their perspectives make for a nice balance of complementary images and a cohesive exhibition. Zara and Phyllis were good friends, enjoyed each other’s company and happily exhibited together whenever the opportunity arose during their long careers.
Sadly, both Zara Kriegstein and Phyllis Sloane passed away just two months apart in 2009. A memorial exhibit for Phyllis Sloane was held jointly at Argos Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe and at Eli Levin’s studio directly across the street. Another memorial exhibit for Phyllis Sloane was shown in Cleveland, Ohio, at the gallery of the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve. Zara Kriegstein’s son, Gandalf Gawan Riecks (a prominent conceptual artist active in New York and Berlin), organized a memorial exhibit of her print work at Columbia University in New York City. Both artists were extremely prolific. I was deeply involved with the production of Phyllis Sloane’s comprehensive 2004 Retrospective catalog and exhibition, and am currently working on a forthcoming Catalog Raisonné of Zara Kriegstein’s extensive oeuvre. Most of their major paintings are now in permanent collections, but there are still a few proofs from their many editions of original prints still available for a broader audience to enjoy.I am grateful to Beate Kirmse of Gallery Neuartig for the opportunity to reintroduce the graphic works of these two accomplished artists to southern California art connoisseurs.
Mark Diederichsen is an artist, designer and private art dealer living in Los Angeles. He is curator for the exhibition and sale of Social Satire and Domestic Tranquility: The Graphic Works of Zara Kriegstein and Phyllis Sloane, April 8 – May 27, 2011.
Gallery Neuartig, 366 West 7th Street, San Pedro – www.galleryneuartig.com
Phyllis Sloane’s Retrospective catalog is available at Gallery Neuartig
