Simmering with spring are the sumptuous studies of empty pink- sateen ballgowns painted by Lindsay Frei at 15th Street Gallery. In “Formal Facade” and “Surplus Satin,” our eyes dip and swoop into hanging, empty bodices, imagining the feel of the satin, drinking in its color like palest of […]
Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company’s Bloom featured two new works, one by artistic director Daniel Charon and one by University of Utah professor Stephen Koester, as well as a piece by Tzveta Kassabova (2010) that Ririe-Woodbury first performed in 2016. The concert was well formatted, with Charon’s dynamic and daring […]
Watching Repertory Dance Theatre’s Voices, a show that reiterated the company’s theme this season of “Manifest Diversity,” was a distinct pleasure. Nearly every piece was preceded by a video featuring the choreographer, or re-stager of the original choreography, providing a glimpse into their intent and process, which I […]
In James A. McLaughlin’s debut novel Bearskin, Rice Moore must choose to preserve his personal safety in anonymity or risk exposure by trying to catch the people responsible for the illegal killings of bear. The book is a plot-driven yet meaningful story of justice and redemption set in […]
“Aspen Forest,” which fronts the new Utah Department of Environmental Quality Technical Support Center in Salt Lake City, is the latest in a number of successful public art projects by Salt Lake City artist Day Christensen. With a degree in art and design from Brigham Young University and […]
Even though John Cranko chose the title Onegin for his ballet based on Alexander Pushkin’s verse-novel, I find its power resides in the dancer playing the role of Tatiana. It is her transformation, from withdrawn and innocent to forthright and assertive, that makes the story so compelling. For this reason, […]
Plush Panoply was the second show to take place at the newly redefined Gateway this weekend, this one in the since-vacated, former Build-a-Bear store. Plush Panoply was an evening of solo works created by local female-identifying artists. Having now seen a number of performances in the space, I […]
This month we bring you Stephen Trimble—one of Utah’s most influential artists in Utah’s 15 (Vol. II). Among his other honors: The Sierra Club’s Ansel Adams Award for photography and conservation; The National Cowboy Museum’s Western Heritage “Wrangler” Award; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Colorado College.
Trimble’s latest work includes an anthology of the best writing about Captiol Reef, The Capitol Reef Reader, to be published by the University of Utah Press in June 2019. His introduction to the Reader (his 25th book) grew from this piece, “The Blue Gate.”
After a few years of struggling to reinvigorate community interest, The Gateway is finally finding itself, as a home for a surging independent art scene. The former outdoor mall’s empty storefronts, which have become host to the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival, provide unique performance venues for all […]
Kathy Adams has been a dance reporter for two daily newspapers over a cumulative 20 years. She tells us “there have been few opportunities to write in depth about jazz or theater dance.” So after discovering Nick Palmquist’s class work on Instagram and later watching his rehearsal with […]
It should be no news that arts funding is not prioritized in K-12 education. While this remains a constant, teachers and other educators try to come up with ideas to incorporate all aspects of art education in their curriculum. Justin Wheatley and Clint Whiting, of Connection High School […]
The Utah Division of Arts & Museums has announced the recipients of their 2019 Utah Visual Arts Fellowships: Jim Jacobs of Ogden and Shane Deeter of La Sal. Each artist will receive a $10,000 fellowship to recognize their work and encourage further development. Jacobs, a retired art professor […]
APRIL 2009
The Truth of Abstraction: Non-objective art at Patrick Moore Gallery
“There’s an oft-told tale in art history: non-objective art came into existence as the Russian painter Vasily Kandinsky viewed a painting of his from across the room, bathed in the waning rays of the afternoon light, and was struck with inspiration. It was as if he was looking at the painting for the first time. He was shocked both by the lack of subject matter in this work and also by the sheer beauty of it, despite having no references to the natural world. The power of the painting held together perfectly, in his estimation, by the works colors and formal composition alone. Non-objective, purely abstract art, was born.
I never liked this tale…”
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