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Theodoros Stamos (1922–1997), “Above-Below,” 1961, oil on canvas, 65 by 22 inches.

FOR APRIL 25 THEODOROS STAMOS “INFINITY” ON VIEW AT HOLLIS TAGGART, W/1 CUT

set 4/15 AVV/CD #735781

NEW YORK CITY — Hollis Taggart Galleries presents “Theodoros Stamos: Infinity and Beyond,” on view through May 17.

The youngest member of the “Irascibles,” the vanguard group of American artists memorialized in Nina Leen’s 1950 photograph, Stamos was only 20 years old when he received his first solo show at the Betty Parsons Gallery. He drew early acclaim for his abstracted biomorphic imagery in the 1940s and early 1950s, revealing what his friend and fellow artist Barnett Newman described as a “true communion” with nature.

In the late 1950s he began to concentrate on fully abstract painting, first in a set of paintings simply titled “Fields” in the 1950s, and later in his celebrated “Infinity Field” series, which is the focus of the present exhibition.

Born in 1922 in New York to parents of Greek origin, Stamos, in his last series of works, executed from 1970 until his death 1997, turned toward his heritage for inspiration. All of the paintings produced during this period were part of his “Infinity Field” series, a complex meditation on nature, humanity and history begun on the Greek island of Lefkada, where Stamos lived at least part time from 1970 onward.

The first paintings Stamos undertook in Lefkada, such as the rare “Infinity Field” and “Infinity Field, Lefkada,” serve as nexus points indicating the directions the artist’s work would take in the three decades that followed. The insistent horizontality of the former mimics the format of landscape paintings, and the subtle line traversing the canvas implies a horizon, a notion to which the painting and series title “Infinity Field” nods.

Through the understated modulation of color in the latter work — vibrant persimmon hues — and the suggestion of fields contained within fields through the use of faint “linear couples,” Stamos creates a painting that seems to glow from within, emitting a warm light through its mottled paper surface.

An early work, “Above-Below,” 1961, signals the artist’s preoccupation with rendering space beyond the confines of the two-dimensional pictorial surface. Through the use of color and composition, Stamos creates a sense of the expansiveness of pictorial space.

Underpinning the lyricism of Stamos’ paintings are his interests in mythology, botany, and Eastern philosophy. Like many of his colleagues, in the years during and following World War II, Stamos began to express a concern with creating universal themes and imagery.

In his later work, Stamos turns his attention to Christian mysticism, particularly after having visited Jerusalem in 1983. With its titular reference to the Shroud of Turin, “Infinity Field (Torino Series #1)” poses questions about the existence of the miraculous, and man’s faith in the visual.

The gallery is at 958 Madison Avenue. For information, www.HollisTaggart.com or 212-628-4000.