#howard putzel

From the archive: A reproduction of the original invitation for the solo exhibition “Adolph Gottlieb” at Howard Putzel’s Gallery 67 In 1945 (top), featuring an introduction by Jon Stroup, which reads: 

“The hieroglyphic arrangement of Adolph Gottlieb’s images so ostensibly invites intellectual interpretation that it seems pertinent to issue the following warning: although the intellect plays an important part in the aesthetic appreciation of the pictograph, it will seriously mislead the spectator if relied on exclusively; the symbolism is too personal. The assimilation of the images is more than a process of addition, and their whole content is experienced only when it has penetrated the subconscious. Insofar as one can speak of a final analysis the pictograph is mysterious, enigmatic, profoundly so when most fully experienced." 

Image below: Nocturne 1945, oil on canvas, 26 x 34” (checklist #25).