Thursday, January 9, 2014

Pop Up Series 3



 
FIRST STREET GALLERY is pleased to introduce its third 3-day POP UP Show.One, of a series of three to be held on consecutive weekends in January. Diverse groups of artists are given room to exhibit an extensive range of work from abstract to figurative; paintings, installations, drawing and sculpture. Each show encompasses a broad spectrum of contemporary practice.

Participating artists in Pop Up Series #3: Diane Fitch, Tina Ingraham, Frederick Ortner, Brook Overline, Alison Proulx, Kristina Robinson, Sheri Schwartz, and Kathi Smith.

       
The exhibition will be presented at First Street Gallery from 
Thursday, January 23rd through Saturday, January 25th
 

The reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, January 16th from 6-8 PM.  



 Special Pop Up Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm, Thursday through Saturday


526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Pop - Up: On & Off the Wall Series:1


 

FIRST STREET GALLERY is pleased to introduce its first 3-day POP UP Show. One, of a series of three to be held on consecutive weekends in January. Diverse groups of artists are given room to exhibit an extensive range of work from abstract to figurative; paintings, installations, drawing and sculpture. Each show encompasses a broad spectrum of contemporary practice.

Participating artists in Pop Up Series #1: Leslie Adler, Elisa Gabor, Crystal Gregory, Natsuko Hattori, Kinuko Hoffman, Cynthia MacCollum, Miwako Nishizawa, and Stacy Rosende. 
       
The exhibition will be presented at First Street Gallery from 
Thursday, January 9th through Saturday, January 11th
 

The reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, January 9th from 6-8 PM.  




 Special Pop Up Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm, Thursday through Saturday


526 West 26th Street, Suite 209, New York, New York 10001

Is First Street Figurative Gallery?



Is First Street Figurative Gallery?

Paul Cézanne, Bather (1885-1887),
 Museum of Modern Art

 Our website says:

"An artist-run gallery, First Street's dual mission is to exhibit and promote the work of talented artists and to provide the public with an opportunity to see and learn about contemporary art in a more accessible milieu than that offered by commercial galleries. The gallery remains focused on the presentation of art in the figurative tradition but embraces a wide diversity of styles, media, and interpretations of 'figuration'." 

Hans Hofmann's painting 'The Gate', 1959–60


 What is Figuration/Figurative Art?  
I just got an opening announcement/invite for a “figurative show” and it was a show specifically for work rendering the human form.  It got me thinking.  “Figurative” is a word often misused by gallerists and artists alike.  The idea that this word means art that has to do with the human figure is prevalent but while art deriving from the human form is certainly figurative, not all figurative work involves the human form.  Wikipedia defines figuration the same way First Street Gallery does: 

"Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—that is clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational. "Figurative art" is often defined in contrast to abstract art:
Since the arrival of abstract art the term figurative has been used to refer to any form of modern art that retains strong references to the real world.[1]
Painting and sculpture can therefore be divided into the categories of figurative, representational and abstract, although, strictly speaking, abstract art is derived (or abstracted) from a figurative or other natural source. However, "abstract" is sometimes used as a synonym for non-representational art and non-objective art, i.e. art which has no derivation from figures or objects.
Figurative art is not synonymous with "art that represents the human figure," although human and animal figures are frequent subjects."

Still Life by Ruth Miller




I speak for myself but my understanding with regards to FSG is that we are a gallery partaking in the figurative tradition but not exclusively so.  It is all about the quality of the work and the individual behind it.  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  Why? I am interested having this discussion and getting as much input as possible on the subject.  I think that this is the best forum for this kind of discussion and I am hoping to get some opinions.  What are your two cents?





View from Smith College by Stanley Lewis