Hosfelt Gallery · New York, NY
The "Pattern and Decoration" movement of the 1970s arose in response to the emergence of Minimalism and its strictures. It derived in part from Pop ArtŐs exuberant cultural mining and partly from feminist theoristsŐ re-thinking of tradi- tional hierarchies. It expressed a renewed interest in "craft" and a sense that the inviolate distinction between the "fine arts" and "decorative arts" was artificial. Motifs from textiles, architecture and ceramics were appropriated and applied to painting according to the aesthetics of 20th Century formalism. Although the "P&D" movement was dismissed by many as "light weight," its influence can be seen more and more in contemporary work. This exhibition explores the use of pattern as a tool for expression by a new generation of artists. (Hosfelt Gallery)
