1 col redset

Donald Judd, untitled (Cadmium Red Light), 1988, woodcut (set of ten), edition of 25, 23½ by 31½ inches.

FOR 11/23

‘DONALD JUDD: RELIEFS AND WOODCUTS’ WILL OPEN AT MARY RYAN NOV. 29 w/1 cut

avv/gs set 11/14 #719605

NEW YORK CITY — “Donald Judd: Reliefs and Woodcuts,” an exhibition of prints and wall sculpture by the Minimalist artist of the Twentieth Century, will be on view November 29–January 19 at the Mary Ryan Gallery.

Judd (1928-1994) saw no conceptual difference between works on paper and sculpture and so each of his works are treated as individual objects, subject to the same governing principles, regardless of medium. Material, space and color are the three essential components in all of his art.

Color in Judd’s prints, in contrast to his three dimensional work, becomes increasingly important, not just in and of itself, but in defining form and content. The compositional simplicity of the woodcuts in the exhibit allows the color to become an intense and unyielding presence.

This exhibition includes multiple series of woodcuts completed between 1988 and 1994. Judd’s prints, like his sculpture, are explorations of objects. In reducing objects to their basic geometry, Judd is able to examine variations and possibilities within the same form. The works are part of a series with no specified beginning or end; each one is independent, yet an equal part of a continuing study.

On view in the main gallery are two series of ten color woodcuts, one in cadmium red and one in ivory black, that present differing views of the rectangle. Beginning with a rectangular form in the center of each sheet of paper, the shape is divided and reflected to yield a series of complementary prints.

A third set of ten prints, a more polychromatic example of Judd’s late work, is also on view.

In this particular set, each sheet of paper is divided into 12 squares. Unlike the 1988 sets where a shape of a single color is placed against the background of blank paper, here the artist chooses to pair contracting colors and reverse them (black, blue, purple, red, orange, yellow and green). The resulting prints are distinguished spatially by color rather than geometric partitioning.

Two wood wall reliefs (in clear) from 1989 are on view in gallery three. These two reliefs are part of a series of sculptures that explore the permutations created by the arrangements of lines, as in the series of 26 woodcuts from 1961 to 1963.

The gallery is at 527 West 26th Street. For information, www.maryryangallery.com or 212-397-0669.