Shows at Spanierman and Gideon Stein

While some would see little more in the recent dust-up between the East Hampton police and a feisty art dealer than locals and fashionistas duking it out for the benefit of the tabloid press, the significance and local impact goes much deeper.

Inevitably, the sales at the gallery in question will probably benefit from the notoriety but the raid illustrates that the atmosphere in East Hampton has become, to put it mildly, rather noxious and offensive to the artists on the East End at large.

Ridiculous commercial rental prices and the vulgar name branding of East Hampton itself have led to the emergence of the village as, at best, a place for exhibiting blue chip artists and the work of deceased members of our community, as in the current exhibition at the Spanierman Gallery, while less established spaces, such as the Gideon Stein Gallery in Bridgehampton, are discovering that surrounding environs have become significantly more receptive and understanding of the extant artist community of today.

Nevertheless, for those who recognize the historical importance of the East End in the context of contemporary art history, the current exhibit at Spanierman is a welcome reminder of the impact and sense of vision that early on defined East Hampton, even if that early impact might lately have been tarnished by overzealous bureaucrats as well as those seeking little more than publicity through theatricality and histrionics.

The historical significance of East Hampton is further underscored by the selection of the six artists included (one of whom, for the sake of full disclosure, is my father, Jimmy Ernst). Both within the region and in the international art world, these artists developed reputations both for their painterly abilities as well as their understanding of the ethical purity of the artistic process and the role of the creative community in relation to society as a whole.

Betty Parsons, for example, whose paintings illustrate a profound understanding of the delicate balance in abstraction between space, light, and color, was also an internationally known art dealer who gave the first solo exhibitions to luminaries such as Robert Rauschenberg, Ellsworth Kelly, and Agnes Martin.

What made the dual-track career of Ms. Parsons that much more impressive, though, was her understanding of the proprieties that dictated a sense of discretion in never allowing the two to mix. And, unlike a growing number of dealers today who also paint, she refused to exhibit her own work in her gallery.

In the works at Spanierman, the artist’s emphasis is on using color to create either architectonic images, as in “Zara” or “Untitled,” or to use them as geometric foils for a powerful use of negative space, as in “Victory” or “Earth.” Meanwhile, a sculptural painting such as “Yield” obliterates the space around the work, conjuring rhythms through bands of color that pulsate with an understated intensity.

This use of color is also an integral element in Dan Christensen’s works, which also gain in intensity and impact from the masterful manipulation of light that constantly serves to animate the juxtaposition of form and space.

In “Dolan” (acrylic on canvas), for example, the bright rings of color create a maelstrom of circular movement in the center, with the empty space, filled by the luminescent energy of light itself, offering a gentle and quiet respite for the viewer’s eye.

Light is also a powerful component in Jimmy Ernst’s works, albeit in a wholly more deceptive manner through its juxtaposition with the artist’s use of abstract imagist geometrics, matched with a technique of using delicately feathered overpainting. In “Recollections and Silence” (oil on canvas), an interplay of white lines elegantly dances across the surface while the background cacophony of linear elements engages in a choreographed ballet that seems lit as if from behind, much like viewing a stained glass window in a European cathedral.

In other works, by contrast, the creation of light emanates not from within the work, but seemingly from without. In “Before It Is Too Late” (oil on canvas), the shadows and forms that offer rhythms deep within the work are made less distinct, and more mysterious, by the countless delicately applied brush strokes that occupy the surface. These not only provide a sensation of illumination that is assertive without being glaring, but also generate their own melodic movements that steadily stir throughout the composition.

The other featured artists in “An East End Tradition: Six Artists,” which continues at Spanierman Gallery in East Hampton through June 23, are Balcomb Greene, Charlotte Parks, and Gertrude Greene.

Meanwhile, featured at Gideon Stein Gallery in Bridgehampton are artists of a more recent vintage whose works illustrate the continued energy within the art community absent the dramatics and sensationalism that suddenly seem so prevalent elsewhere.

Of notable interest are works by Dennis Leri, who, in hanging sculptural pieces such as “New York Decaf” (aluminum), shows an accomplished ability to conjure a narrative stream that arises less from his inclusion of graphic elements than from his symphonic arrangement of forms and shapes.

In “Arrival/Departure,” on the other hand, the artist’s sense of simplicity and understanding of principles of minimalism offer a mystical air of conceptual distance, while his use of angles and geometry creates a sense of gentle movement that belies the work’s assertively stolid stance.

Scott Partlow’s “Tall Blonde” (spalted sugar maple) also conjures movement and rhythms though his manipulation of form and the accentuation of the natural grain of the wood itself. Showing the surprisingly delicate result of chain saws and sanders, the work is both ebullient and sensuous, its interweaving of polished surface and negative space constructing a sinuous form that twists suggestively.

In a completely different vein, Lynn Dunham’s paintings are more immediately emotional, most immediately gaining impact from the juxtaposition of texture and color. Both texture and color create images that are engagingly elusive, as fleeting as a mirage that is constantly morphing into new shapes and structures as the eye moves across the surface of the works.

Also featured in the exhibition “Local Yield” at Gideon Stein Gallery in Bridgehampton, which continues through June 11, are David Corcoran, Hunter Herrick, Gideon Stein, and Tom Connor.