Sophie von Hellermann: Sleepwaking

I almost walked through Sophie von Hellerman's show at Greene Naftali without thinking, which is to say without really looking. My eye went to a canvas that features a group of figures gathered around a table with a huge drawing or map unfolded on top. I couldn't figure it out visually, what it was. Then I marvelled at how little von Hellerman used to suggest a figure -- a dash of line here and a blotch of color there -- and became enchanted.

Her work looks soft and sloppy, but don't be deceived. It's strategic and suggestive. She is often described as dreamy or Romantic, and it's easy to agree. Her imagery is magical and her method is to work around the concrete facts. Instead of drawing the meat of a subject, she'll dash a minimal outline or wash a color field that's very non-specific. She applies pigment directly to unprimed canvas -- like Morris Louis -- so the colors have a subtle glow.

Take the photo above: two faces looking at a group of bees. One face washes out, as if a shadow. The bees could be a threat or a discovery. It's Sophie von Hellerman's art to suggest a different world that looks like our own, viewed through honeycomb.

Sophie von Hellerman was at Green Naftali Gallery in NYC, November 2007.