An Exquisite Abstraction
Lehigh Valley Style, November 2008
by Steve Piccione
photograph by Elizabeth Hunt
Meeting Marta Whistler is an indelible experience. I first spoke with her several years ago while she was walking her dogs with her husband, acclaimed actor, Dudley Knight. They had recently relocated to the Lehigh Valley from Irvine, California. Her appearance was striking, conjuring images of Louise Nevelson and Georgia O'Keeffe. Her sonorous voice had a cadence formed from extensive travel. Before I saw a single canvas, I was eager to see the paintings produced by this unusual woman.
I quickly discovered that she is an artist at home in the numinous world of symbols and exquisite abstraction. Some of her intriguing paintings articulate hereto-unforeseen images that challenge the imagination and provoke closer inspection. Other works exude a topographic insouciance, exploring richly textured marks iterated into intricate abstraction. In her hands, densely populated surfaces never feel over-worked or annoyingly busy. She is an exceptional editor, revealing the essential with admirable concision.
Her art expresses a singular vision that contains elements of the primitive and the modern involved in a seemingly endless exploration of possibilities. Whistler's broad sensibility is informed by years of extensive travel, imbibing knowledge from indigenous people as well as friends in the ivy covered towers of universities. She has lived in Mexico, Serbia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and spent many years in Louisiana with her late husband who exposed her to the wonders of Native American lore.
Whistler's paintings are a renewable resource. Meaning slowly unfolds, so the viewer is never left with a deflated object or an easily solved puzzle. Her shapes and figures vibrate with the spark of living symbols and fresh syntax. Some canvases possess the appeal of a polyrhythmic composition for percussion, where uncountable passes of the palette knife form balanced blasts of massive abstractions. The effect increases exponentially, due to Whistler's imaginative use of color. I inquired several times what type of paint she uses or what material she adds to the pigment to give it its rich luster. She smiled and plainly stated that she uses oils mixed to suit her purposes.
Her unique depiction of sexual organs has nothing to do with cheap sensual provocation, rather, Whistler explores these precious zones of the flesh as vulnerable and joyous channels for the shared energies of life. Eyes retain a privileged position in the painted body as the transmitters and receptacles of chi. Ever alert, these windows of the soul are often graced by an abstracted tear. This is the matrix where ambiguity surfaces. The face frequently forms contrasting expressions, punctuated by eyes filled with joy or sorrow. Further, some figures look as if they would be equally comfortable playing a djembe in West Africa or sitting in a Paris cafe. Whistler's complex vision of humanity uniquely articulates man's endless versatility and diverse emotional capacities.
Whistler elaborates, "I do believe that life and death are right there at the beginning of our lives. It is just at the end that death will have the upper hand. But you cannot separate them. They are a part of us, you see. And that is what frightens people. You have to accept life the way it is. Death is there; you cannot turn your face and say it is too unpleasant to live with. [It's] the same thing with art," Whistler continues. "Sometimes people say, 'I want to have something soothing, something pleasant to look at, not complex'; they don't want to delve into a painting. I would say the opposite. A painting makes a statement; it becomes a part of you. When you are tired and you have had a frustrating day that painting is going to be waiting for you. That is going to be part of you. So it is not only something pleasant to look at, it also becomes your friend. The artist has put soul into it, and you have part of a soul hanging on your wall."
Whistler is a remarkable embodiment of the old-school work ethic combined with the freedom of a modernist. For her, inspiration is available in perpetuity. She pointedly states, "People often wonder when they haven't seen me for some time if I am still painting. I become very indignant-it is like asking me, am I still breathing. It is a part of me and that is the most important thing."
She often paints through the better part of her waking hours, producing a variety and volume of work that would exhaust many painters. Her conceptual powers are such that before she touches the canvas she fully grasps what colors and shapes she will create. "My mind conquers the canvas," she confidently states. "I visualize the piece before I paint it."
When she juxtaposes the voluptuous contours of human forms with angular structures (suggesting social constructs or ineffable forces), the canvas remains a judgment-free zone. Whistler is a rugged individualist and exudes a contagious positive outlook toward the world. Her face beams as she says, "I'm a born optimist. No matter how dark things are around me, there is a tunnel and I always see some light." She believes there is good within every person and that once you get past the social facade you encounter the individual in their pure state.
Looking at her fascinating creations often reminds me of gazing at the night sky-my mind soaring, contemplating the curious arrangement of objects. Sometimes the images seem to guide the eye through a discreet consideration of shapes and colors. Other canvases encourage an ocular freefall with the imagination providing the narrative. However the experience unfolds, it is great fun to wander through a room full of Whistlers.
In an era when novelty and nostalgia are the popular art drugs, Whistler quietly creates a world in touch with the primitive and modern impulses of the human animal. Whereas some see in her work humanity dwarfed or crushed by larger forces, I see human energy articulated in a universe that does not extinguish life, but provides a mysterious context, articulating limits and freedoms. Whistler's world is cryptic, rich, and deeply focused. Time spent with her and her creations is a rewarding, enriching experience.