NYC Arts: Andrea Grützner @Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Andrea Grützner @Julie Saul Gallery in Chelsea

The current exhibit of photographs by Andrea Grützner titled Erbgericht (Guesthouse) is a standout. The photos (using analog processes) have the presence and visual weight of monumental paintings and are firmly in the tradition of classic abstraction of the both the De Stijl and Bauhaus styles.

Andrea Grützner

Untitled 8, 2014

pigment print

59 x 39 1/2”

edition of 5

© Andrea Grützner, Courtesy Julie Saul Gallery, New York

The focus on shadows and the asymmetrical composition place this image in a lineage that harks back to László Moholy-Nagy and André Kertész.

Here is a quote from an excellent blog entry on Photography and Abstraction: "European photographers began to produce work nourished by cubism, abstraction and the Bauhaus aesthetic pioneered by Moholy-Nagy and El Lissitsky. Members of the New Vision Group began to produce innovative compositions. Within the French avant-garde, photographers such as André Kertész and Florence Henri began to treat form in new ways. Kertész produced work like Shadow of the Eiffel Tower, 1929. "

goo.gl/NNgirH

Andrea Grützner

Untitled 6, 2014

pigment print

59 x 39 1/2”

edition of 5

Henri would seek out the abstract within the concrete in work like Abstract Composition (handrail) 1930. Henri would also use mirrors to manipulate composition on form as in her work. One interesting example is Window, 1928-29.