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Mary Hrbacek
Polished and Pressed, an exhibition of works by Peter Weber and Bill Thompson were on view at Margaret Thatcher Projects in New York in January.
Bill Thompson, KK2, 2007. Courtesy of Margaret Thatcher Projects.
Minimalist artists Peter Weber and Bill Thompson create accessible art by deceptively simple means. Both artists have a singularly controlled vision defined by visually compelling abstract elements that send an immediate message. There is nothing in the art of either left to chance. That the works are well crafted and fully resolved adds to their soothing yet stimulating effect; the finish alone inspires admiration. As one observes each piece, the inventive elaboration involved in the choices made by each artist illuminates the scope and uniqueness of his inspired creative endeavor.
A minimalist format seems an unlikely arena for imaginative self-expression, but that is the upshot of Peter Weber’s focus on one element, fabric. The soft appearance of upholstery cloth belies its tough durability, creating deceptive appearances with complex underpinnings. Multiple variations in folded fabric engender viewer delight and mystification. The works display playful, sophisticated overlapping designs whose shadows and softly embossed folds interact to stimulate expanded intricacy of invention. When the cloth strips are wider, they resemble highway over and underpasses. Sometimes overlapped folded columns are pushed back and held in abeyance by the top piece, creating a restriction or dominant, passive interaction. Smooth white felt, surrounded by a wide border gives rise to speculation; the inspiration could as well be an American Indian artifact as a modern Italian furniture designer. Some of the pieces are more eccentric; when crumpled cloth is combined with extensively woven areas, the contrast is movingly diverse, evoking the sense that restraint has given way to fresh expression. When Weber investigates unusual designs with flattened folds, another world of articulated expression is revealed.Although Bill Thompson’s works are defined as paintings, they are so pure in color and so volumetric in shape that they can be read as minimalist wall sculptures. Executed in single hues, the glossy finishes reflect the surrounding environment, bringing it into the scope of the artwork, thereby altering its meaning. The works function as mirrors that retain their linear dimensions while expanding their visual content. By this means, weather conditions and the light that defines the time of day converge on each form and color within the convex or concave, undulating or straight, hard-edged geometric, or organic shapes. Within a relatively small scale, vast works are expertly created. The urethane surfaces recall the slick car-bodies and smooth finishes of surfboards or skies made in the 1960s era.These works have the luscious shine and saturated clear colors found in assorted hard candy. In this way they appeal especially to the sense of taste. The humps and bumps to be found in the organic pieces suggest unseen objects or bodies trapped beneath smooth outward coverings. They are playful and toy-like in appearance, compelling and effectively realized.By bringing together two artists who create works with limited materials that reap unlimited possibilities, this show offers the visual proof that there is no end to the artistic advances alert art practitioners are capable of conceiving. By contrasting minimal, organic, colorful, volumetric paintings with more reserved wall works of beauty and complexity, the express differences accentuate the unique qualities of each body of work. The show provides the viewer with an ideal opportunity to experience pure visual poetry that is modern, rhythmic, and intelligent.
