J Matt Miller: Key

Before I begin, I will confess that such minimalistic paintings are the most difficult to write about. I often ask myself if I am not over-analyzing, and in such cases as this one, where there is seemingly little tension, I have to double check myself. And still, the challenge remains irresistible.

This piece boasts a nearly perfect composition: three levels -- the nail, the the thread and the key -- each one given a different color. The knot on the thread points to the left edge, opposite to the key's direction, a divergence that creates a restrained balance. There is a gradation of length, as it progressively increases from the highest object to the lowest. As almost in all Miller's work, the composition appears almost flat, with shadows so close to the objects, they barely expand to give the just about the correct three dimensional illusion.

Because the objects protrude only slightly, volume becomes a latent leitmotif: the key's stylized nearly flat appearance vs. the three dimensions in which it works, the turning movement being one the three basic motions in a three dimensional world. Furthermore, using the key may entail opening something, which also denotes a symbolical invasion of space, such as a door turning on its hinges, or a dresser sliding out -- they all disrupt the given space, utilizing the three dimensional reality.

The pinkish thread may serve as a comic relief to the classic looking key (its color may imply money/gold). And since the key literally hangs by this thread, the two disclose a playful recommendation not to take reality too seriously and remember that there are more important things than the daily routine. The golden path lays in the reasonable interchange between fancy and realism; accordingly, the small triangle on the key's head points towards the golden center, where the thread and the metal connect. The key to understanding this work is finding a link between all its elements, no matter how insignificant they may seem. Together, they form a unity conquering in its simplicity and quiet force.

Christopher Stott: Bananas

Another photographic work, this fruit-piece consists of two main patches of color, each developed gradually, through gradation of value. The already familiar wall in the background is gray; darkest on the edges, it brightens towards the center, where it meets the yellow bananas in the focal point. Correspondingly, the bunch's color at this place of contact is at its brightest -- in fact, it is almost white, being lit directly. The yellow then grows darker towards the edges. The radial treatment of value consistently alludes to the source of light. This is not accidental: light, and its side effect, warmth, allow growth; bananas would not sprout or burgeon if it were not for the sun. In fact, there would not be any life at all. Hence, this painting is heliocentric, and as such, it assumes a life affirming meaning.

The interplay in the yellow's value, along with the additions of white and black, gives the fruit an "inner life," as if telling about the edible contents. Drawing and color collaborate. The drawing brings out the form -- "the skin" -- whereas the color -- the soft, sweet meat(what's inside the form). I find particularly notable the detail where the bananas accrete: a small area where there's still some green, the black recedes into the lighter brown, and the wall's gray is visible between the individual fruit. It seems that the artist explores the possibilities and the range of the yellow color in various micro settings. He approaches color carefully and meticulously, aware of its primal force; he cultivates it, translating an agricultural feat into artistic terms -- the black in the lower part of the painting may refer to the soil used in the actual growing process. Without a shade of a cliche, art here imitates life in the most direct way.