Henry Callahan, Kyi May Kaung
TO APRIL 28
Henry Callahan
Kyi May Kaung
Unlike even the most experimental artists who preceded them, the abstract expressionists of the mid-20th century prided themselves on ignoring cues from the tangible world. For them, art was predominantly a way to express their deepest emotions. On first inspection, Henry Callahan's acrylics on canvas--now showing at the Foundry Gallery along with works by Kyi May Kaung--call to mind the works of Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. But where those ab-ex giants would channel their emotions, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Callahan unabashedly channels nature when making his abstractions: Before the Storm (pictured) calls to mind a sea-and-sky horizon, complete with piscine forms roiling in the ocean. Similarly, Titanium Crescent features cresting waves and vertical strips that approximate undersea vegetation; the dark-hued upper half of Concrete Jungle suggests a deep forest. Kaung's palette is much lighter, though not always cheerier. Her works are a mix of watercolors and monotypes, influenced almost equally by Asian calligraphy and Western action painting: Several of her calligraphic pieces suggest a cacophony of street signs in an urban business district, whereas a number of her inkblot-filled works spin propulsively beyond the matte in the spirit of Jackson Pollock or Franz Kline. But her simplest works are her most pleasing; Courage and Haiku (for DG), feature balletic brushstrokes that cohere in near-perfect harmony. Both artists' works are on view from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday; and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, to Sunday, April 28, at Foundry Gallery, 9 Hillyer Court NW. Free. (202) 387-0203. (Louis Jacobson)
