Last Saturday, I attended the closing reception and artist discussion for Tara Massarsky at The Art Salon at Inspire. Her art show, Conveyance, has been well received at the salon since it’s opening on June 1.
Massarsky, as a visual abstract painter, has been inspired by science and by alchemy, the psychological process of turning a common thought or object into a pure, or higher thought. The sheer act of painting has allowed her to discover the world. The framework for her paintings is the interconnectedness of forces, the heightened emotional connection of objects. A number of individual artists have influence Massarsky in her own development as an artist. Below is a short list of those who have and her personal comments on each:
Adolph Gottlieb
At one time after seeing a Gottlieb show at the Brooklyn museum with the Indian Space Painters, I realized I shared with them the use of a primitive pictograph like language depicting a mystical, poetic universal language.
Arshile Gorky
His incredible personal imagery is so pure it's scary. His suicide shortened what would have been a continued and sustained genius.
Wassily Kandinsky
A most likely and obvious influence. As the assistant librarian at the Guggenheim Museum, I had many a chance to study his works and writings. I admire his works more for the spirituality he imbued into his work then even his palette, his use of forms and color have inspired many of us.
Ad Reinhardt
The retrospective a few years ago at MOMA explored his incredible meditative studies of the effects of color in its purest forms. His writing's, especially when he was a member of the 1950s AAA, were incredibly witty and insightful on the art of his day, and its criticism's still hold up.
Willem De Kooning
The sheer fierceness of his stroke and appetite to deconstruct the things before him are so compelling. A master of color as well. Another major influence.
Louise Bourgeois
Her organic and metamorphic sculpture and persevering spirit I find inspiring. She has a wonderful sense of humor about the art world that I find truly refreshing, even in her 90's she could laugh at all the pretense surrounding her "late in life" retrospectives and "re-discovery".
The idea for The Art Salon at Inspire is unique. Designed for an intimate and comfortable experience by offering visitors avant-garde hair design, the Inspire Salon also provides an appreciation and understanding of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original artwork. For more information visit inspireartsalon.com.
