"when the modernist yearns for color"
aka
"a response to the light"
"He told me that he liked the idea of things living on the sun, assuming that it is of course a sunny, but also joyful place. But everyone, including Zach, knows that it’s super hot up there and totally unlivable and this is where the paradox that’s close to this body of work resides." - Tif, on Zach's work
"Initially, Josef Frank’s work in Sweden was very similar to earlier Viennese designs. But within a year or two his work became more colourful and more varied. His interest in an even brighter color palette was probably the result of the influence of Swedish folk art, but it was also undoubtedly a reaction to the dark Swedish winters. Frank hoped a lighter look would help counteract the bleak winter days. His work also became more eclectic, a result of working with Estrid Ericson, the owner of Svenskt Tenn, who pushed him to explore new design possibilities. " - taken from here
"Since I have a lot of different interests, high and low, I try to exploit that. A sculpture that reads as potentially crude can coexist with one that's more sweet, or fragile. - Zachary Leener
1. Zachary Leener's latest work @ Tif's Desk till April 27. Run- Skip-Hop! A couple weeks ago I attended the opening of Zachary's latest works in clay: hand-built forms, awkward textural complexities. His recent Dr. Seussian sculptural pursuits are taking pride in their ability to grow and activate the space & air. Bold color-seeking modern California forms feeling nostalgic of utopian 60's craft and "of the sun." Some call it noodling, others call it doodling. Tif's Desk is in the back of Thomas Solomon Gallery, and it is actually the desk of Tif. Ask her for a tour, and some conversation. The above work is from the flat files.
Read a past conversation here with Zachary Leener.
2. A Josef Frank Cabinet.- "Heartbreakingly beautiful modernism"
"Throughout his career as a designer, Josef Frank sought to forge a modernism that was responsive to people’s needs, both physical and psychological. His furniture was comfortable—he typically used soft, upholstered seating, rounded edges, and pieces that allowed their users to relax. He rejected the then common practice of employing tubular steel, which Frank thought was cold to the touch and unyielding. But his designs also sought to respond to our need for the familiar. He did not reject older, historical forms. Like Loos, he believed that many things and ideas from the past still had validity. And he often relied on color and pattern to make his rooms and individual pieces appealing." (taken from here)
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