Flourish

Defined by a happy dichotomy between subdued hues and exuberant gestures, Gina Werfel’s Flourish is a virtuoso abstract work. An economy of means and an embarrassment of riches do not collide or even co-exist in the present work but, instead, become one. Even “become” in this context is misleading because Flourish’s joyous and enigmatic outpour of emotion-evoking paint appears unified since inception. Despite appearances, Flourish is less about how opposites attract and more about how opposites might not have been opposite in the first place.

I have implied Flourish is a celebratory and happy work, even more subjective than my usual screeds. I use this language not to describe the mood of the painting (like most of the best paintings, it could be dismal or happy) but to try and articulate the splendid way Flourish’s exuberant brushwork blends with its restrained palette.