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Jane Schneider at June Kelly
Art in America, Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Goodman
The late Jane Schneider (1932-2006) was an accomplished sculptor who joined together various bits and pieces of wood both large and small, often using material found not far from her home in rural Garrison, New York. In Schneider's whimsical but also serious constructions, curving, gnarled twigs and branches balance precariously. Matters are further complicated by surface decoration, which includes crosshatching and colored patinas. The result is a sense of a tenuous stability in which the arrangement of form accentuates the vulnerability of the wood, creating a lyrical statement of surprising force. In a catalogue essay, Ann Landi notes Schneider's varied influences, which ranged from Gaudi to Native Americans from the Southwest and Pacific Coast, as well as the pluralist habits of contemporary sculptors; I think the extemporaneity and informality of Schneider's work also relate it to the New York School.
Schneider's art is often marvelously composed. For example, in Balancing Act (2006), a fairly large work (it is 56 by 52 by 26 inches), a curling branch rises up in the air, supported by the thicker branch against which it rests. The rough surface of the wood adds poetic rawness; at the same time, the curve of the branch, spiraling upward and outward, creates a bit of wonder and spontaneity. Songs of Innocence (2005) is an even larger arrangement of five assemblages of wiry tendrils, grouped on the wall in a rough square. The reference to Blake indicates the influence of the poet's celebration of nature, a connection that also evokes the subtle outdoor work of artists such as Andy Goldsworthy.
Tenacity (2005-06), some 7 feet high, consists of two vertical branches, one of which forks; supported by the straight element, the forked piece has a tightly curved outgrowth in its crook. The sculpture's surface is a mottled red; the title is enigmatic, in keeping with the margin of expressive ambiguity that is key to Schneider's output.
COPYRIGHT 2007 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
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