South Middlesex Times

The work of two Rutgers professors, Julie Langsam and Stephen Westfall, both from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, will be featured in the Zimmerli Art Museum's upcoming exhibition, "Crossing Borders: Geometric Abstraction 1960 to Now."

Stephen Westfall is a professor of painting in the Art & Design department at Mason Gross. The exhibition opens on September 11 and concludes on July 31, held at the Eisenberg Gallery at the art museum located at 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, N.J. Admission is free.

“This exhibition is an exploration of abstraction across media, geography and time,” said Donna Gustafson, Zimmerli’s chief curator. “Artists in the exhibition play with the language of abstract forms in landscape and urban scenes, music and dreaming states, and in two and three dimensions. Ultimately, the exhibition is a gathering of beauty in vivid color and in black and white.”

Gustafson added that Zimmerli officials hope this exhibition reminds viewers “that the basic principles of artmaking – whether that be a portrait, a landscape or a scene of everyday life – include a sophisticated language of abstract form. In our exhibition, this sophisticated language of abstraction is front and center.”

Julie Langsam is an associate professor of drawing in the Department of Art & Design at Mason Gross. Langsam’s work has been displayed internationally including New York, Cleveland, Barcelona, and Reykjavik. A painter whose work spans filmmaking, photography and printmaking, she was formerly head of painting at the Cleveland Institute of Art.

An abstract painter and art critic, Westfall's works have been shown throughout the U.S. and Europe including Boston, New York City; San Francisco; Munich; Paris; Rome. He holds a Guggenheim fellowship.

Langsam expressed her views on abstraction: “What I love about ‘abstraction’ is that it is an abstract concept! What does ‘abstract’ even mean? Does it mean that something is ‘abstracted from life’ as in the work of Monet or Picasso? Does it mean that a form or shape is not lifelike? I love abstraction because there are so many ways you can approach the concept.”

Westfall remarked on his interest: "I find that abstract painting carries memories of pictures – figurative, architectural or landscape – without shifting ideologies."

Langsam elaborated on her artistic process involving geometric shapes over landscape photographs taken during extensive travels across America: “The forms that I draw on top... are literally my own marks on the landscape... symbols or signifiers of our collective human impact on the environment.”

Offering advice for newcomers to abstract art visiting Zimmerli’s exhibit:

Langsam stated: "While looking at a work... focus on what they feel before they try to decode... looking at color composition... can all contribute to an overarching feeling."

Westfall suggested visitors consider how paintings are made: "Look at how abstract paintings are painted... ask yourself what they remind you..."

Discussing geometric forms' appeal:

Westfall noted: "The rectangular format… already geometric… built-in dialogue between interior/exterior shape… invoke bodies/architecture/rays/landscape…"

On visitor takeaways:

Langsam hopes viewers see “the relationship between landscape to geometry” reflecting human interaction with nature.

Westfall wishes guests gain better understanding: "...how painting works... really could learn to do it themselves."