Geometric Abstraction has been around since the early 20th century, Malevich and Kandinsky being among the foremost early proponents with Mondrian, Hofmann, and Albers coming along a couple decades later. Initially art theorists of the time described the movement as a rejection of the illusionism of Western Art: the artists acknowledging and emphasizing the two-dimensionality of paintings (paintings are after all, flat) while denying the three-dimensional illusion.

Well, that is true up to a point; however, works may certainly have considerable three-dimensional illusionistic space. What these early proponents did do, and this is a significant contribution, is remove recognizable subject matter as the central concern of their illusion.

The removal of recognizable subject matter, a singular act by the Geometric Abstractionists, made non-representational painting part of the visual canon of modern art. The impact on the art of the 20th and 21st centuries has been enormous.

In terms of the expressive power of a work, those artists who use Geometric Abstraction and other non-objective approaches are at a considerable disadvantage. This disadvantage occurs because, in terms of subjective expressive potential, nothing comes close to the human image (and other things human).

So, operating with this handicap, non-objective artists must get their expressive punch by evoking responses from the viewer much the way composers and musicians do with their musical compositions and performances. Those looking for subjective expression in the work doesn't need it though, it will stand on its formal relationships alone.

The artists included in the exhibition are David Brody, Robert Perlman, Chris Watts

Opening reception: Saturday, February 21, 2015, 2 - 4 pm