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G A R Y
K O M A R I N
G A R Y
K O M A R I N
i p s o
f a c t o
A Suite of Blue Sea Laguna Beach (detail)
The Escape Artist
n Mark Rothko’s “Art as a Form of Action,”
qualities inherent in painting — line, shape, colour,
an essay from his posthumously published book
form — along with a belief that intention should be
The Artist’s Reality, he begins with an elucidation
altogether absent from painting in order to achieve
on the notion of escapism in art. He writes,
the most intuitive outcome.
Art has often been described as a form of escape from
action. It has been pointed out that the artist, finding
Komarin comes out of the American tradition in art
withdraws from the world of true activity and ensconces
which an exclusion of figuration and a push toward
the practical affairs of the world too unpleasant,
making first championed by Clement Greenberg, in
himself in a world of the imagination in order to exempt
flatness and gesture was of primary importance. In
himself from this unpleasantness.”1
this manner, Komarin is intuitively lead toward the
non-pictorial, allowing him to push the boundaries
between surface tension and atmosphere, equilibrium
Rothko also purports that a person for whom the
and imbalance, achieving a kind of push/pull dynamic
practical affairs of the world are paramount and
on the canvas stretching far beyond transcription.
who knows nothing of the world of dreams and
imagination, is even more an escapist from reality
than the artist.2
K
omarin is a colourist of the highest mark — his
instinct for whimsy and subtlety rendered
“In fact, the man who spends his entire life turning
through pigment is unparalleled by any artist
nor energy to occupy himself with any other needs
equalled by Rothko’s infamously reverberating
the one who developed his art. For the man
overtop luscious fields of colour, at times suggestive
physical needs. He understands that man must
signification. The artist’s intuition leads him in a
the wheels of industry so that he has neither time
of his human organism is by far a greater escapist than
who develops his art does make adjustments to his
have bread to live, while the other cannot
understand that you cannot live by bread alone.”3
making abstract paintings today, and perhaps only
palette. Floppy shapes are drawn and painted
of familiar forms but never overtly demanding in their
direction that is neither right nor wrong — it acts by
way of sentiment rendered on a flat surface. The
painter, never quite sure what he searches for, and
Throughout his painting career, Gary Komarin has
not quite expecting any particular result, rejects that it
subscribed to this very credo — making paintings
is flat, meditating interminably upon the quasi-surface
that hover in a kind of dream-like metaphysics.
that is his life’s work.
Somewhere between abstraction and reference,
between reality and escapism, Komarin’s work is
It seems that Komarin finds nourishment in the
guided by a keen awareness of the formal
visceral and repetitive process he employs in
Komarin finds
nourishment in the
painting. How else could he make and remake
the work ad infinitum? He may feel relief while
visceral and repetitive
working or escaping from work or reality, and is
process he employs
thereby able to continue in this fashion without
in painting
cessation. Rothko describes this kind of routine as
a form of social action, as a means of contributing
to society by way of indulging one’s need to
here as a means to an end: the work itself, the
create, thereby elevating the artist’s seemingly
artist’s work) Komarin doubly negates what he then
non-utilitarian labours. Rothko writes,
becomes — the embodiment of process and product.
“When the artist produces something which is intelligible
only to himself, then he has already contributed to
himself as an individual, and with this effect has already
contributed to the social world (just as we benefit
ourselves, and therefore also society, when we eat).”4
The rejection of the finished work becomes the work
itself, and in repeating this process the artist
perpetuates the escape from ‘reality,’ it affords.
Komarin does not believe in the quick fix of
formalism, of resolution.
One might think this statement a bit of a stretch,
Emancipated in such a manner, Komarin develops
but for a painterly painter like Komarin, there is
broad and captivating outlines for himself and the
real truth in it. For while the artist indulges in
viewer, offering a proper medium through which to
what seems like a selfish activity, inwardly
perceive what one does not specifically know:
massaging his private need to create, he in
presence without reference to time. By postponing
fact indulges the rest of us in our need to
or displacing resolution, an exhilarating nod to
ruminate, and muse over that which both
soothes and stimulates our bodies and minds.
transcendentalism, Komarin offers us the kind of
space in which to wonder infinitely, suspending our
need to quantify and thereby qualify our speculative
T
herefore, has Komarin’s process an end point,
‘moments’ on earth.
direction, purpose? The work and the artist,
never quite finished (here we speak of the sort of
painting that basks in the moment of completion
Robert Otto Epstein
as the motive for completion), escape reality by
New York, NY 2009
denying the possibility of a finished product. For
1 Rothko, Mark; The Artist’s Reality Philosophies of Art, edited
Komarin, abstraction is by nature, an incomplete
by Christopher Rothko; 2004, Yale University Press, New Haven
act. Without resigning to difference (understood
and London, p. 9; 2 p.10; 3 p.10; 4 p.10.
El Paso 2009 107 x 122cm
A Wilder Blue 2008/09 183 x 152cm
The Disappointed Mistress # 28 2008/09 182 x 122cm
A Suite of Blue Sea in Pink and Cream #5 2009 153 x 122cm
Ipso Facto 2009 183 x 162cm
A Suite of Blue Sea Laguna Beach 2008 182 x 151cm
Rue Madame in Red No. 24 2008/09 152 x 122cm
Two Pair 2009 153 x 122cm
Gary Komarin
B. 1951, New York, NY
A risk taker in the Abstract Expressionist tradition,
His work may be found in many noted public
Gary Komarin was born in New York City, the son
collections including The Museum of Fine Arts,
of a Czech architect and a Viennese writer.
Houston; The Yoshii Foundation, Tokyo; The
Montclair Art Museum, New Jersey; Boston
Komarin’s stalwart images have an epic quality that
University Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The
grip the viewer with the idea that he or she is
Microsoft Corporation, Washington; Galerie
looking at a contemporary description of something
Proarta, Zurich; Blount International, Atlanta;
timeless. For painter Gary Komarin, abstraction has
The United Bank of Houston, Houston; The Hyatt
never been a formal dead end. Rather, it has
Corporation, Chicago; and American Airlines,
allowed him to challenge the limitations of the style
New York.
to make painting ‘include more’ precisely because
a recognizable image excludes too much.
Private collections include John McEnroe, New
York; Candace Bushnell, New York; The N.
Komarin has exhibited extensively throughout the
Horiuchi Collection, Tokyo; Maxwell Davidson,
United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and
New York; The Gisep Biert Collection, Zurich; The
Asia. In 2008 he had a solo museum exhibition at
Abrussezze Collection, New York; The Ron
the Musée Kiyoharu Shirakaba in Japan. The
Gremillion Collection, Houston; Mason Klein, The
exhibition and catalogue, Moon Flows Like a
Jewish Museum, New York; Kathryn McCarver
Willow, was orchestrated by the Yoshii Foundation
Root, New York; Barry Blitt, Connecticut; Visko
in Tokyo with galleries in New York, Tokyo
Hatfield, Connecticut; Florence de Dampinerre,
and Paris.
Connecticut; Karen Kelley, New York; Harry and
Randy Moses, Connecticut; John and Ellen Steitler,
In 1996 Komarin’s work was included in a pivotal
Connecticut; Tim Jeffries, London; Robert Lamb,
exhibition at 41 Greene Street, New York, where
Chicago; Toby Clarke, London; Meredith Long,
his work was shown with the paintings of Jean-
Houston; J. Lowery and M. Rosselli, New York;
Michel Basquiat, Philip Guston and Bill Traylor.
Joanna and Arthur Koeppel, New York; Gary and
Deb Sargent, Connecticut; David Alan Greer, Los
Gary Komarin has been honored with the Joan
Angeles; Jeffrey Hoffeld, New York; Luke Honey,
Mitchell Prize in Painting, The New York Foundation
London; Marian Boesky, New York; Tim Culbert,
for the Arts Grant in Painting, the Edward Albee
New York; Wendy Olsoff, New York; The Gonzalo
Foundation Fellowship in Painting, the Elizabeth
Alvar Collection, Madrid; Ruth O’Hara, New York;
Foundation New York Prize in Painting and the
and Garner Tullis, New York.
Benjamin Altman Prize in Painting from The
National Academy of Design Museum, New York.
Komarin lives and works in a house and studio in
Articles and essays about Komarin’s work have
the wooded hills of Roxbury, Connecticut. He is
been published in The New York Times, Art in
currently preparing for exhibitions in Tokyo, Paris,
America, and Arts Magazine among others.
New York, Zurich and Dubai.
Photo: Wyatt Komarin
The artist in his studio
The artist wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to Angus Broadbent and Lacey West of Broadbent;
Robert Otto Epstein for his essay.
He also expresses appreciation to his three muses: Jenna, Zoe, and Wyatt.
Photography by Visko Hatfield
All works are mixed media on canvas
broadbent
25 Chepstow Corner Chepstow Place London W2 4XE
T: +44 (0)20 7229 8811 [email protected]
www.broadbentgallery.com