Loretta Howard Gallery is pleased to present Richard Anuszkiewicz: The Temple Paintings. Composed between 1981 and 1984, these works were inspired by a trip the artist took to Egypt. While inspired by the geometries of sacred temples, these paintings do not make direct reference to individual structures but use the geometric framework as a space in which to experiment with juxtaposed complimentary colors. While Anuszkiewicz is known for his early involvement as an optical artist the subtle luminous depths of these paintings call fourth other associations- mainly the recurring geometric structures of Donald Judd and Frank Stella, the color theory of his mentor Josef Albers or the luminosity of a Dan Flavin.
Ann Landi explains in her catalog for this exhibition:
Taken as a whole, the paintings gathered here from the “Temple Series” offer a chance to reassess Anuszkiewicz’s accomplishments. Like all great work that depends in large measure on color for its impact—think of Matisse, for example—some of the freshness and intensity resides in the way the eye interacts with visual phenomena. And if we can forget about the largely useless label that was Op Art, we can see these works as resolutely classical, belonging to an era between the explosive innovations of Abstract Expressionism and the endless proliferations of post-modernism.