Brenda Zlamany
at jessica fredericks
October 19 - November 24, 1996
Brenda Zlamany used to frequent New York's
morgues, making studies for paintings.
Unlike other artists inspired by the
morgue, such as photographer Andres
Serrano, Zlamany was not so interested in
the agents of death. She focused instead on
the formidable vestiges of life that the
dead manage to retain long after dying. She
also made eloquent paintings of dead
animals floating in formaldehyde. But in
her work, she sought to give her subjects
new life. In a way, she resurrected them,
and her work was always life-affirming
rather than morbid.
It is not surprising that Zlamany
eventually turned to live models, although
her approach to the subject matter has not
changed all that much. On view in her
excellent show in this Chelsea gallery are
new paintings of snakes, lovingly portrayed
in a manner recalling that of great Spanish
masters like Zubarán. Most are painted
against dark backgrounds, although a few
are on colored grounds--my favorite was
painted against bright red. Zlamany's
snakes, suspended in an ethereal, abstract
space, seem to strike a pose, and their
sleek bodies form elegant calligraphic
lines.
