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Review: Zinsser brings bold strokes to Philip Slein

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 1, 2012 - On view at Philip Slein Gallery is New York-based John Zinsser’s Zero Guilt. Zinsser presents nine canvases of painted abstractions, celebrating color in bold strokes. The paintings have a Japanese-aura, emitting lovely interplays of light and density, juxtaposing orange and brown or light yellow with deeper yellow.  

The artist’s heavy brushstroke creates a muddy texture – in a good way. I have to stop myself from touching the canvases, the enamel and oil continuing off the surface in thick pathways of line. 

The most successful pieces incorporate a basket-weave motif, such as Slow Life, 2011 and Helen of Troy, 2012. The simple paintings are anything but. 

Also on view is Paul Shank’s Paris/St. Louis. Portrait. Works of Paper.

Rachel Heidenry holds a B.A. in art history and human rights from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.  A former Beacon intern, she recently completed a Fulbright research grant studying mural painting in El Salvador and is currently a fellow at the Slought Foundation in Philadelphia.

We asked her to return to St. Louis and give us her take on some of the art exhibits that have opened recently. Heidenry is also the daughter of features editor Donna Korando.