Jack Bush's Works on Paper Exhibition at New York Studio School Reveals Greenberg-Inspired Evolution

From March 19 to April 25, 2009, the New York Studio School presented a Jack Bush exhibition featuring 22 works on paper at its 8 West 8th Street location in New York City. Curated by Karen Wilkin, the show displayed one large watercolor and 21 medium-sized gouaches in chronological order, with 1960s pieces in the front gallery and early 1970s works in the back. Bush, a Toronto-based painter who lived from 1909 to 1977, initially created representational art while working commercially before transitioning to abstraction in the 1950s. His early abstract style reflected Willem de Kooning's gestural approach until Clement Greenberg's 1957 visit to Toronto prompted a shift toward thinner watercolor techniques applied to canvas. The exhibition's 1960s works featured bright colors and simple forms on white grounds, including the "sash" paintings Nice Pink (1965), Bitter Pink (1965), and Untitled (1966), inspired by a Madison Avenue shop window display. By the 1970s, Bush developed a mature style with colored grounds—mostly matte gray—and unique forms like opaque streaks with ragged ends and giant loops. Notable 1971 works included Forsythia, Falling Blossoms, and Apple Blossom Burst, the latter described as the show's most perfect picture. This marked the first Bush exhibition in New York since 1997, offering a primer on his evolution from Greenberg's influence to his distinctive late period.