Nell Blaine's Late Works Reveal Formal Mastery at Tibor de Nagy Gallery

Tibor de Nagy Gallery in New York presents a selection of works by Nell Blaine from her final four decades, featuring two dozen paintings, watercolors, and drawings, some unseen publicly since the 1960s. The exhibition highlights Blaine's landscapes and still lifes, characterized by brusque strokes and vivid colors that evoke atmosphere and place. Her formal inquiry, evident in rhythmic ordering and measured intervals, aligns her with Henri Matisse and Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin rather than contemporaries. Blaine maintained abstract principles from her teacher Hans Hofmann, visible in works like 'Cosmos in Night Interior' (1976), where broad rhythms and color mosaics coalesce into gestures. The painting showcases a central configuration of pinks depicting light over a bouquet, with a vase and tabletop adding depth. Blaine's confident touch extends to watercolors, such as 'Platform Garden' (1988), with limpid washes and muscular outlines, while drawings demonstrate integrated drawing and painting processes. Though some interior and still-life works may not reach her highest energetic inquiry, others, including views of rooftops, a sleeping cat, and the Hudson River at sunset, reveal her response to motifs. Blaine's discipline of forms and search for reality echo Paul Cézanne's emphasis on capturing fleeting moments, underscoring her unaffected virtuosity and intense interest in visible surroundings.