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Brian Gross Fine Art

November 1 - December 23, 2012

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49 Geary Street 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94108
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Still Without Cessation Robert Sagerman, 4,511, 2012, oil on canvas, 26.5 x 25.5 inches
Reception for the artist: Thursday, November 1, 5:30-7:30 pm Brian Gross Fine Art is pleased to announce Still Without Cessation, a solo exhibition of work by New York artist, Robert Sagerman, opening Thursday, November 1 with a reception for the artist, from 5:30-7:30 pm. Robert Sagerman creates rich color field paintings through the application of daubs of oil paint, layer upon layer, in a rhythmic, methodical, and meditative gesture. The result is an activated surface built of layers of applied paint that crosses the boundaries between painting and sculpture. The exhibition will be on view through December 22, 2012. Sagerman’s artistic process is a calculated action in which he counts and journals each and every stroke. The total number of marks ultimately provides the title of each piece, such as 11,139. The meticulous counting of gestures integrates a temporal element to his work as the process is frozen in time. Also, the keeping record of each strokes portrays the influence of his study of medieval Jewish mystical tradition in which “numbers partook of the immaterial heart of the material world, of the world’s true nature.” For Sagerman, numerical tabulation of the marks captures the true nature and essence of the painting. In these latest works, Robert Sagerman continues his process-orientated field painting, with the recent development of incorporating gradations of color and value from one end of the painting to another. In previous exhibitions, color and value were more static. The shifts in color add a compositional dynamism that results in a rich surface infused with movement and energy. Born in Bayside, New York in 1966, Robert Sagerman received his MFA in Painting and MA in Art History from the Pratt Institute in 1998; his MA in Religious Studies in 2000 from New York University; and his PhD in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from New York University in 2008. Sagerman has participated in numerous exhibitions in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and Germany. This exhibition is his fourth at Brian Gross Fine Art. Open the first Thursday of each month, 5:30-7:30 pm.