Spheres of AbEx - Heather James Fine Art

LOUISE FISHMAN (b. 1939) is recognized as one of the best knownAmerican abstract painters of her generation. Originally, her paintingstyle gave her some trouble in being recognized and she exhibited onlyoccasionally in the 60s when she produced primarily grid based work. Asthe feminist movement gained strength in the 70s, Fishman abandoned theMinimalist-inspired grid paintings and began making work that reflectedtraditional women’s tasks. She returned later to the masculine realm ofabstract painting and fought her way to distinguish her work from the maleartists. The resulting compositions combine gestural brushwork with anorderly structure as if Fishman built or wove her paintings, starting froma foundation and carefully adding layer upon interlocking layer. Fishman’sabstractions, while not directly narrating her life, are rooted in her cultural,political and emotional experiences revealing Fishman’s unique version ofAbstract Expressionism.