Helene Slavin's Paintings Explore Aging and Technique at Patricia Correia Gallery

Helene Slavin presented eight large paintings at Patricia Correia Gallery in Santa Monica, California, from July 19 to August 23, 2003. Her works, built with layers of acrylic, encaustic, and oil, employ techniques like soaking, singeing, sanding, and varnishing to create an instant patina, resembling aged maps or faded artworks. Colors in pieces such as Evergreens, View of Delft, and Stephany are muted yet luminous, evoking comparisons to Gauguin rather than German Expressionism or Van Gogh. Slavin's process involves applying paint to both sides of the canvas, allowing it to emerge through the linen, resulting in surfaces that look well-worked like tapestries. Conceptually, her work bridges abstraction and figuration, challenging historical hierarchies by showing them as interconnected aspects of painting, akin to Picasso and Braque's Analytical Cubism. The paintings engage viewers slowly, inducing calm through their lyricism and size, while reflecting on painting's endurance and aging, contrasting with ephemeral forms like installations or performances. References to artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Arthur Danto's ideas on meaning and Marcel Duchamp's retinal painting underscore the work's dialogue with art history. Ultimately, Slavin's art highlights painting's unique ability to age gracefully, acquiring patina over time, a theme central to its viability and aura.