Back in black

Fletcher/Priest shows why less is more

by Leon Nigrosh

ROSENSTOCK: PHOTOGRAPHS
At the Fletcher/Priest Gallery, 5 Pratt Street, Worcester, through November 11.

The exhibition currently showing at the Fletcher/Priest Gallery is an excellent example of "less is more." To begin with, there are only 11 works. And there isn't much evidence of color in them. Ron Rosenstock's photographs are black and white, and James Tellin's wood constructions are tinted mainly in shades of black. Yet these objects are certainly not minimalist in concept or execution. Rather, they are infused with a spiritual energy so compelling that each work calls out for attention.

Rosenstock presents selections from a group of photos taken within the magnificent, but dangerous, Upper Antelope Canyon in Arizona. With this series, Rosenstock moves from his atmospheric landscapes and angular architecture images into total abstraction, using the ancient alluvial geological formations to capture the interplay of light and dark.

Tellin's wall-mounted dimensional constructions are also primarily about the play of light and shade. The subtle curves and sharp angles he created with his finely wrought sheets of plywood cajole light into and around his concave and convex shapes. He uses no power tools in the production, only a hand saw, knives to pare the precise angles, and sandpaper -- lots of sandpaper -- to bring about the silky surface finish.

Both artists are also concerned with the infinity of texture. Rosenstock reveals these subtle changes in his water-worn topography, while Tellin uncovers and enhances the hidden grain in his wooden planes. Each creates an aura of serenity and peaceful contemplation.

Gaze at Rosenstock's Light Form #1, Upper Antelope Canyon, AZ long enough and an anthropomorphic human torso begins to emanate from the stony surfaces. Then look at Tellin's Wood Construction #97, and you might imagine that the meticulously matched wood grain has taken on the appearance of an apparition. Tellin's angular Wood Construction #100 acts as a geometric vessel to contain bubbling whorls of wood grain that are easily compared to the billowing lines of white and black flowing across Rosenstock's photograph Light Form #4, Slot Canyon, AZ.

While making comparisons such as these may be entertaining, and possibly helpful in defining boundaries for the abstractions, it is not always necessary, or even desired, for the appreciation of the work. Tellin's concave Wood Construction #101 employs a subtle and sensitive use of smoky red and a deep blue/black to enliven the grain patterns that undulate across the tilted surfaces. It is easy to get lost in the quiet harmony Tellin has created between the organic and the geometric. And although Rosenstock's Light Form #2, Antelope Canyon, AZ is an image of a naturally occurring geological formation, the relationship of the camera to its subject produces a fractal quality in the final image.

Moving through this exhibition is a bit like padding through a Zen temple. Each object requires attention and contemplation. The simplicity of both Tellin's wood forms and the images captured in Rosenstock's photographs belies their effort time and the precision expended.

The gallery is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m. and by appointment. Call 791-5929.