In the Absence of Color

"But when I fell in love with black, it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color.  It was an acceptance. Because black encompasses all colors. Black is the most aristocratic color of all. The only aristocratic color." - Louise Nevelson

Hollis Taggart Galleries presents an exhibition probing the depth and versatility of a restricted palette. Richard Pousette-Dart, a member of the New York School and mainstay of American abstraction, employed a black and white color-scheme to render the mythic coupling of Hero and Leander as bold, heroic figures. In contrast, Mark Tobey used black and white to evoke the lyrical brushwork of Japanese calligraphy, in the form of a serenely organic ink painting.

The simplicity of black and white unites works across media. Louise Nevelson’s wooden wall constructions of abstracted, lunar forms hang in conversation with Jack Tworkov’s mixed media collages and Jasper Johns’ meticulously rendered lithographs.

At first glance, a dichrome palette may be viewed as limiting. In the Absence of Color challenges this notion, presenting a selection of work by artists who pursue black and white and prove that the works are anything but.