Art Round-Up – In Living Color

– By Arthur Stampleman –

Prepare to venture into another world when you step into “E-Cyclorama: Immersed in Color”, the new exhibit of 42 paintings by New York artist Sanford Wurmfeld at the Neuberger Museum of Art. Some may see Wurmfeld’s monumental cylinder E-Cyclorama painting as the centerpiece of the show, but color is really the main attraction.

Wurmfeld (1942- ) has long been interested in color and color theory, which he treats with a mixture of Constructivism, Minimalism and Op. After studying art history and architecture at Dartmouth and Princeton, he decided to be a painter. In a dialogue with renowned art historian Irving Sandler at the Neuberger opening, Wurmfeld said the work of Franz Kline was instrumental in determining his artistic path. He wanted to understand Kline’s black-and-white approach to Abstract Expressionism.

Surprisingly, that led him to investigate what many would consider the direct opposite in non-representational art: color with a geometric focus. Wurmfeld studied the work of Josef Albers, whose art was rooted in the analysis of space, form and color as visual phenomena. The end result of Wurmfeld’s evolution as an artist is color presented in a systematic grid.

Wurmfeld explains that he uses the grid to make color the more important part of his work. By varying the size of grids ever so slightly, he can achieve color transitions that are more graduated and interesting. His approach creates an optical floating effect, akin to the work of the Hudson River Luminists. Wurmfeld says he has no message for viewers – rather, he believes art should be stimulation for self-discovery.

The 67-year-old artist is also an art historian. He chairs the Department of Art at Hunter College.

Forty-one of the paintings on view are mid-size and two-dimensional, and painted between 1971 and 2005. All display color changing in a grid. Wurmfeld typically first pencils his grid on the canvas and applies only one color in each space, using tape to protect the borders of each grid.

Three things prompted him to look for a way to apply his art to different media: an early interest in architecture, a desire to paint in “real space” and a visit to the Panorama Mesdag, which is in a purpose-built museum in The Hague. The large circular canvas by Henrik Mesdag (1879) was one of a number of panorama paintings of landscapes and historical events that became popular in the nineteenth century.

E-Cyclorama (2006-8) is Wurmfeld’s 21st-century version of a panorama painting. It is comprised of 109 colors in a systematic grid. The "E" in the title stands for elliptical, the cyclorama’s oval shape. The canvas is stretched onto a 37-foot-long oval cylinder that is viewed by entering an elevated structure from beneath. Once inside, don’t be surprised if you have optical illusions. The colors shift and your eyes are drawn in so many directions.

“E-Cyclorama: Immersed in Color” is on view in the museum’s Theater Gallery through July 19. The Neuberger Museum of Art is located on the campus of Purchase College in Purchase. Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, less for senior citizens and students with valid ID, free for museum members and children. For information, call 251-6100 or go to www.neuberger.org.