PRESS RELEASE
In the Gallery Project Room
May 7 - June 6, 2015
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 7, 6-8PM
Thatcher Projects is pleased to present FLIGHT, an exhibition of aviation themed paintings and collages by William Steiger in the gallery Project Room.
The planes and dirigibles are depicted in motion against white backgrounds that imply boundless areas of space. On closer inspection, the hard edged and deceptively objective style of Steiger emits a warmth – in the texture of linen emerging in areas where paint has been rubbed away; or the subtle upwards shift in many of the planes, inspiring a sense of awe and wonderment at Man’s creation. Reaching into a collective library of visual recognition, they evoke pause in an era of rapid modernization.
From Bettina Prentice’s essay in Steiger’s 2011 monograph, Transport:
“William Steiger’s renderings of vintage propeller planes and dirigibles are immaculately spare; elegant visual testaments to the artist’s fascination with the past. We are immediately drawn to the delicate graphic element and marvel at the discipline of an artist who allows himself so few lines. There is nothing self-indulgent about these paintings, no dramatic flourishes or decadent details to distract the viewer from the simple beauty of these flying machines.”
William Steiger received an M.F.A in painting from Yale University in 1989. His works have been shown extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia, including a recent solo exhibition at PACE Prints. Works by William Steiger are included in numerous private and public collections such as American University, Bank of America and the International Collage Center. In 2011, Transport, a monograph of the artist with over 200 color plates and including essays by Richard Vine and Christopher Gaillard was published by Hudson Hills Press.