For Willem de Kooning, flesh and oil paint had a reciprocal relationship. Pat Steir’s abstract paintings, now on view at the National Academy Museum, stake the claim that water, not flesh, was the reason oil paint was invented. The colossal Blue River (2005), her largest work to date, is shown side-by-side with three new paintings in the “Waterfall” series: Orange, Green, and Maroon (all 2013). If you can’t make it to the beach this summer, head uptown for the next best thing to experiencing a real body of water: gazing at its perfect embodiment.
NORA GRIFFIN
Pat Steir, Blue River, 2005. Oil on canvas, 135 3/4 x 445 3/4 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Cheim & Read, New York.
May 23 to September 8, 2013, The National Academy Museum, 1083 5th Avenue at 89th Street, New York City, (212) 369-4880
