White-on-white paintings are nothing new.
Russian modernist Kasimir Malevich created a celebrated series of such works in 1918, and Robert Ryman has built an entire career on them.
Far from being exhausted, this narrow artistic vein still offers bountiful creative possibilities, as Udo Nöger convincingly demonstrates in two concurrent Denver exhibitions.
The internationally recognized German artist, who divides his time between his native land and the United States, has created a pleasing group of luminous paintings, subtle in approach but bold in impact.
A total contrast to the hard edges and muscular gestures that have characterized so much of abstraction since it emerged early in the 20th century, these compositions are soft, shimmering and even hazy in effect.
Although his white-on-white works employ a very different color palette than that of Mark Rothko, Nöger can nonetheless be seen as a descendant of the great abstract expressionist.
Both deal with light and perception, creating slightly enigmatic works with an elusive yet impossible-to-ignore spirituality. Their uncomplicated compositions create a push-pull effect, with certain sections seeming to float above others.
In Rothko’s case, it is all illusion. But as part of the complicated process Nöger has invented for his pieces, he builds a framework behind the painting that actually pushes parts of the composition or pulls it back.
Perhaps even more important to the overall effect, he covers each of his canvases with a kind of translucent scrim. This softens the look, much like a filter on a camera lens, and slightly distances the viewer from the imagery behind it.
The exact way the effects are produced is never clear to the viewer, adding to the mystery and appeal of the pieces.
Nine of Nöger’s large-scale paintings, including “Heads and Stripes 2,” a two-panel piece more than 9 feet high, are on view through June 26 at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver. Eleven mostly smaller works can be seen through June 18 at the Rule Gallery.
Although the very premise of white-on-white paintings might seem limiting, Nöger achieves surprising variety among these 20 works. The misty bands in “Weisswasser 3” (2000), for example, are hushed and almost imperceptible.
But the white band cutting across the series of overlapping egg shapes in “Lightbalance” (2003) creates such a strong, glaring effect that it is hard to look at the painting without shielding one’s eyes.
Other examples include “Licht-Sich Schleissend” (2001) with its five shimmering orbs; “Same As” (2002),” with its driplike effects; and “Arena Sleeping” (1999), with its spiraling pattern rendered in wide, glistening brush strokes.
Nöger’s paintings are the highlight of a group exhibition at the contemporary-art museum titled “White Out: Lighting Into Beauty.”
Director-curator Cydney Payton has tried to unite the different elements through the nebulous notion of examining the different ways artists explore beauty and light. But the selections are so varied that she fails to achieve any real cohesiveness.
Similar in spirit to Nöger’s paintings is a snowflake-shaped labyrinth created by Colorado artist Jaeha Yoo using translucent scrim panels. It is a wonderful idea, but the cramped, low-ceilinged room where it is shown ruins much of the effect.
Tanyth Berkeley’s 16 photographs of women in their teens and 20s who don’t fit the classic notion of beauty are certainly engaging, and the unusual use of saturated light is fascinating. But this New York artist’s intentions are so far from those of Nöger that it is almost impossible to reconcile their inclusion in the same show.
Also on view is an ambitious video installation by Paola Ochoa and a small group of photographs from the Hank Cato Estate by such notables as Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus and Joel-Peter Witkin.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
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“CONFLUENCE” The Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design consistently produces some of this region’s most promising new artists. Respected Denver abstractionist Dale Chisman has chosen 10 works by nine of the college’s top students for inclusion in “Confluence,” an exhibition continuing through May 28 at Pod & Capsule, 554 Santa Fe Drive. If none of these young artists is poised for immediate stardom, they all show potential. A particular standout is Matthew T. Larson, whose “Dan Flavin as a Popsicle” is a light-hearted send-up of the famed artist’s light works. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Call 303-623-3460.
-Kyle MacMillan
