Colorful “stones.”  SoonAe Tark’s acrylic

paintings   at  the Temple Gallery catch the

eye  initially  because  they  are   bursting

with exuberant color.  But more subtle forces

work to impart gravity, tension and energy,

qualities the hold  the  eye after the  color

has  arrested   it.

The Korean-born  artist   composes   with

rectilinear  and  slablike  shapes,  all of

which  have  slightly  convex sides  and

rounded  corners.  She stacks the shapes in

columns whose  apparent stability is tenuous

because the points  of  contact  are relatively

small.

The paintings suggest stones piled atop

one another,  like cairns or neolithic monu-

ments.  But their basic appeal is abstractly

formal and forcefully direct, generated by

contrasts of color,  mass and  shape.

Tark  uses  a lot of  colors, from vibrant

primaries  to rich pastels.  Likewise, her

inventory  of shapes is extensive.  But she

imposes  such  rigorous  discipline on this

high-energy  formula   that   the  paintings

feel  like an  homage to   Mondrian. 

by Edward J. Sozanski

“In Yellow,” by SoonAe Tark, at the Temple

Gallery, Exuberant color grabs the eye, but

gravity, tension and energy hold it as Tark

suggests stones piles atop one another.