James Koenig

Mid Century Hard Edge Abstraction James Koenig Ribbon Structure 1971

1971

An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This work titled "Sun" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.

An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This work titled "Ribbon Structure #4" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery

An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig titled "Cool Triangles. This work is part of Draw Near exhibition which opened at Benjaman Gallery on March 11. Th...

An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This piece is featured in Draw Near which is currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.

Our shaped canvas which also is a sculptural form in essence for a wall, is a geometric and forward play of optical illusion. Hinman is an important pioneer of exploration in the co...

"Strengths and Weaknesses" is a portrait exploring several elements and strategies that fascinate the artist – notably the performance anxiety induced by simply being an artist, staring down the freight train of art history as it hurtles toward you every time you pick up a brush. Luck? Talent? Maybe. There are signposts and guides in this painting, of course (Cubism! Surrealism! Brancusi! Guston!), but they can clobber you too if you're not careful. Even the phrase "strengths and weaknesses" smacks of compromises and rationalization – deadly to an artist looking to construct their own integral world. "Strengths and Weaknesses" is an acrylic and charcoal on canvas measuring 54" tall by 54" wide. It was included in the artist's solo show "Comedy Cellar" at Freight + Volume Gallery, New York City in July 2018. (See last photograph for an installation view.) From Daniel Gerwin – "Schenck’s color is vibrant, wild, saturated to the point of overheating, and altogether brilliant in the balancing of hues, temperatures, shapes, and color quantities. The paintings have a remarkable coherence for their dizzying juxtaposition of so many small chromatic passages." (Essay: The Anxiety and the Ecstasy) Peter Schenck...

"Woman in Pink, Blue, and Gray" is an acrylic on canvas painting measuring 24" tall by 18" wide. It's very active, with a woman wearing a colorful cap with feather, her tresses falling down behind/beside her, portrayed with cubist abandon as the artist folds in Picasso with Philip Guston... Note all the formal elements are present – her eyes, her smile, her dress and bosom – yet assemble and disassemble in front of our eyes. From Peter Schenck...

"Rembrandt Woman" is an intriguing painting, a woman in classic Dutch master portrait pose with a hand modestly holding her secrets dear, yet por...