Premises, Premises

Robin Rice on Visual Art

by Robin Rice

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Summer is slow in the art biz. Locals drift desultorily in and out of the city and its galleries. So do out-of-towners who won't be around long enough to notice when a show stays up extra long. This is the show-everything-and-the-kitchen-sink season, for at least two months.

It is, therefore, refreshing when there's a great premise for a show. Sande Webster's hodgepodge of works by PAFA grads has been one of the most discussed shows this summer. Because Webster couldn't possibly include every deserving alum, there's a focus on two-dimensional and smaller work. Nevertheless it's a big, almost claustrophobic selection for the space, with paintings stacked at least three deep.

Representation is well-represented. The earliest piece is a coup, Henry Ossawa Tanner's small 1881 sketchy study of Mary Washing the Feet of Christ. A strong self-portrait by revered teacher Ben Kamihiri is another touchstone of earlier generations. There are several youngsters, including scion of the locally significant Tiberino family, Gabe Tiberino, showing a cityscape. Gilbert Lewis' watercolor of the back of a young man's head is outstanding.

Newcomer Trevor Twist's Heinz Beach, with nicely executed contrails, is literally overshadowed by Bo Bartlett's showy and strange portrait of Alexis (pictured) with heavy, wide-set eyebrows and tiny bee-stung lips. Her deep V black bodice echoes John Singer Sargent's Madame X. Contrast that with one of the large back-lit portraits that made Barkley Hendricks famous in the 1970s: It's miles from Hendricks' current ultra-traditional oval landscapes.

Representation alone would have been a good premise, but it would have overlooked the important strain of abstraction emanating from PAFA. For Trane and Parker by Moe Brooker, who makes it look so easy, is complemented by recent works on paper. Bill Scott, another top name, shows a subtle, mostly monochrome wintry work, while James Dupree's tall scarlet vertical is layered with iridescent pigments. There are painted reliefs by Charles Searles, and Clarence E. Morgan makes an impression with his molecular-looking abstractions.

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Though Webster generally chooses smaller paintings (no doubt to pack more in), she didn't mess with Quentin Morris' undeviating format: 6-foot-diameter black canvas circles. Usually shown in minimalist isolation, the skied one here one holds its own. Its heavily textured, almost encrusted black-on-black surface is a respite from the gallery's wildly overstimulating environment.

The few sculptures in the show (Julia Stratton, Jim Victor) are very nice, but for the good of the show as a whole, they should have been omitted.

The 10th Annual Goblet Show at Works Gallery is as cool as glass and festive with brilliant color. The goblets range from functional and surprisingly affordable (Jason Howard, $250 per pair) to dense and whimsical (Licata Kohler).

Many, maybe most, pieces are intended to be admired, not really used. Eric Goldschmidt does some of the most lacy flame-working ever. Jeff Mack's emerald green lidded chalice, 22 inches tall, is an accurate copy of a museum work. The openwork cups of cage goblets are nonfunctional, but they certainly catch the light. Howard's ravishing bachelor buttons goblet sold privately moments before the Philadelphia Museum of Art commissioned a version for its collection.

Small figures — or parts of them — are popular. Anna Boothe likes to put birds and human arms into her goblets, occasionally hiding a nesting pair of birds in the base, visible only upon picking it up. Greg Nangle incorporates human legs (and bronze), while Steve Sizelove's stems are dancing nudes caressed by Rococo flourishes.

On the glass-plus side, The Agitator by Jonathan Schmuck has a vibrator in the stem. Tami King embeds wire mesh in some pieces. Hank Adams blows thin, clear glass into cutout tin cans for a series of very happy faces. Zach Puchowitz neatly recycles vintage soda bottles, logo and all.

(r_rice@citypaper.net

Yesterday And Today PAFA Alumni Invitational Exhibition, through July 27, Sande Webster Gallery, 2006 Walnut St., 215-636-9003, sandewebster-gallery.com

10th Annual Goblet Show Through Aug. 30, The Works Gallery, 303 Cherry St., 215-922-7775, snyderman-works.com)