Nocturne II

Gina Werfel’s Nocturne II is a beautifully hectic celebration of color. However, the seeming chaos of the composition is wholly subverted and belied by the harmony of its palette and forms. The objectively complementary passages of rich acrylic are in and of themselves so perfectly paired that no one in good faith could describe the work as chaotic. However, the intensely alluring all-over painting style is even more impressive when considered as a diptych. Diptychs are among my favorite abstract paintings (I know…it's not a novel opinion) because they challenge the artist to make one thing into two while maintaining their oneness. Some artists start with a diptych in mind, some paint their first canvas and realize it is part of a larger whole, others paint two separate works and know they cannot be displayed (and thus understood) with each other. To find a balance between gestural abstract chaos and intentionality (whether this is conscious or subconscious, it is an abstract painterly necessity) in not one but two paintings is among the most significant tests of an abstract artist and, for an example of this painterly prowess one need look no farther than Nocturne II.