Lee Mullican's West Coast Abstraction Explored in Dual New York Exhibitions

Key facts

• Lee Mullican had two exhibitions in New York in 2016: one at Susan Inglett Gallery from April 28 to June 4, and another at James Cohan Gallery from May 14 to June 18.
• Mullican's abstraction was rooted in mystical traditions and used non-Western and Native American sources, differing from the New York School's focus on self-representation.
• He employed patterns associated with migraines, epilepsy, and altered states of consciousness to stimulate sensory perceptions.
• Key works included 'The Age of the Desert' (1957) and 'The Arrival of the Quetzalcoatl' (1963), the latter known for its hallucinatory effects.
• Mullican's technique featured matchstick-like slivers of color applied with a printer's knife, creating optical spaces detached from underlying imagery.
• He was influenced by Gordon Onslow Ford and Wolfgang Paalen and co-founded the Dynaton Group, which explored mysticism.
• His work contrasted with East Coast artists like Richard Pousette-Dart, Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, and Mark Rothko.
• Mullican served as a cartographer for the US military during World War II, influencing his aerial perspectives in paintings.