It’s all about connections.
That’s one of the ways that curator James Balla describes the Abstraction show that’s on exhibit at the Albert Merola Gallery from August 12 to September 1.
“Even once you get them up on the wall, you start seeing relationships between and among the paintings,” says Balla, himself co-owner of the gallery and an artist in his own right. “Not to mention between the generations.”
Indeed, from Fritz Bultman—born in 1916—to Bill Jenson (1945) to Duane Slick (1961) to Ryan Sullivan (1983), the show is covering a great deal of territory in chronology alone.
But that’s far from all. The word “abstraction” is by now as broad a term as can be made in the visual arts. Abstract expressionism comes from the combination of the emotional intensity and self-denial of the German Expressionists with the anti-figurative aesthetic of European abstract schools that include Futurism, the Bauhaus, and Synthetic Cubism. Additionally, it has an image of being rebellious, anarchic, highly idiosyncratic, and even nihilistic.
“This show, however,” notes curator Balla, “seeks to show some of the ways that serious artists confront and use the idea in their work.”
And, as mentioned before, there is a flow. “Provincetown has always been on the fence about abstraction versus figuration,” says Balla, and it’s clear in some of the pieces that that conversation is taking place on the canvas. And there is, as well, a connection to Provincetown in the work of each of the artists being exhibited.
Ellsworth Kelley has a piece from the 60s on display, the reductive Orange and Blue over Yellow; he “works from nature, with a focus on reducing things to their essentials,” says Balla.

Bill Jenson—who studied with Peter Busa—has been an influence upon countless numbers of younger painters. His Temptation of Saint Anthony, displayed in this exhibition, is made up of brilliant colors and brushstrokes that seem to be in conversation with each other even as the layers pull the viewer deeper into the painting.
Former Fine Arts Work Center fellow Jack Pierson is represented by a complex totemic abstract word sculpture, word pieces put together, something this reviewer found compelling and returned to again and again. The title—Incantation—reinforces a connection between the visual and spiritual. “It runs on the edge of what we think of when we say abstraction,” adds Balla.
Another former FAWC fellow and current professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, Duane Slick, is a Native American who also explores the spiritual in his work. He’s represented in this exhibition by the beautiful Stacked Horizon. Some have seen an echo of Native American textile patterns in this piece; see if you agree.
William Wood “uses his own vocabulary for abstraction,” says curator Balla. “It’s really a play between abstraction and figuration—he allows the viewer to infer a landscape.” Wood here has created his own visual language in his earlier paintings that have evolved into the evocative, moody painting that is seen in this exhibition, untitled. It’s an exceptionally evocative piece, mysterious and compelling; clearly meant for the viewer to fill in the meaning. This reviewer thought immediately of water and mist.
Wellfleet resident artist Helen Miranda Wilson’s work is well known in Provincetown and beyond. Her intense small paintings embody her interpretation of the natural world, and her contribution to this exhibition is no exception: Red Tress. The red refers, actually, to the background of this painting, with the multicolored tresses snaking their way around it; they seem to glow with a light of their own.
Fritz Bultman’s Hotter is probably the most striking piece in the show: brilliant, vibrant colors that do indeed generate a heat of their own. Bultman’s influence can be seen on many of the other artists in the exhibition: the generational span is evident as artists learn from and build on each other’s work.
Another artist whose work in this exhibition almost suggests the figurative is Jacqueline Humphries. In this large piece, one is tempted to see a distinguishable bit of trees and land in the bottom right, but the rest of the painting contradicts this notion, with its wide expanses of color that invite the viewer to see beyond landscape alone.
Louise Fishman has “wrestled with the baggage and weight of the American Abstract Expressionists and [has] consistently created meaningful strong works,” according to curator Balla. Her Roustabout is filled with movement and with color competing with darkness.
Rick Klauber, a former member of Long Point Gallery, is “pursuing a minimalist, poetic way of working using fragile cedar shakes,” says Balla. “He is presenting them in an architectural environment that makes us realize that works of art can be made of any material, if the expression and integrity is clear.”
And then there’s John Waters. While he may not be know for minimalist expression, his two pieces in this exhibition—21 Pasolini Pimples and Three Sirk Mirrors—are a tribute to abstract minimalism. The former are in fact pimples taken from Pier Paolo Pasolini films, not a common subject of art, while the three mirrors—which seem to be staring blankly at the viewer—are taken from a Douglas Sirk movie.
“I’m very excited about this exhibition,” says curator James Balla. “It’s important to see where there’s an intersection between abstract and figurative, and where there’s not. Artists who are working fifty years apart from each other are hanging together… so that for the first time you can see the affinities of their work and their imagery.”
“ABSTRACTION” is on exhibit at Albert Merola Gallery, 424 Commercial St., Provincetown August 12 - September 1. There will be an opening reception on Friday, August 12, 8 - 10 p.m. For more information, call 508.487.4424 or visit www.universalfineobjects.com.