sternstudio.at
Form and Language: New Work by Joan Levinson
October 8, 2015 - November 20, 2015
I’ve been using words in my art since 1980, but it wasn’t until I became a professional writer and editor that I began to understand the intrinsic connection between words and visual art. The creative processes are so similar, with the creating of form to carry meaning, adding and subtracting of elements, building and breaking down. I am equally drawn to both arts and try to make work that reflects them as a unified whole.
In these paintings I explore the act of telling a story. How do you tell your tale and form a connection with the listener/reader/viewer? These three sets of verbs - to tell and to listen, to write and to read, to construct and to view - are all vital to the success of the work.
When writing and editing, I try to pare sentences to their essentials, creating structurally sound lines where every word counts. The same is true of my paintings, where I embrace minimalism and try to remove every element that doesn’t contribute to the whole.
Joan Levinson
Summer 2015
Joan Levinson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, United States. She has been exhibiting her work since the 1980s.
Selected One-Person Exhibitions:
2009CONCERNING TIME: WORKS ON PAPER
Gallery at Left Bank Books, St. Louis
2003RIPE STRAWBERRIES: RECENT WORK
Gallery at Left Bank Books, St. Louis
2003NEW WORK
George Billis Gallery, New York
1996NEW WORK
Nicholas Davies Gallery, New York
1994I HAVE BEEN TEMPTED
Nicholas Davies Gallery, New York
1989SOMEWHAT REALISTIC PAINTINGS
Nevertheless Press Gallery, St. Louis
1985ELEVEN STORIES ABOUT TOOLS
Timothy Burns Gallery, St. Louis
1985NEW PARABLES
University City Library Gallery, St. Louis
1984KITCHEN PASTORALS
Bonsack Gallery, St. Louis