Maria Lassnig. P.S. 1.

 
I took advantage of the cooler weather to take a long jaunt (3 different trains) to go to PS1 and take a look at the Maria Lassnig and James Lee Byars shows before they close. Maria Lassnig just passed at 94 I see, and I was unfamiliar with her work, so it was a nice find for me to see her paintings that spanned a very long and fruitful career. I went through the wrong door and started the show from the most recent work which at first took me aback a bit, All those twisted figures and faces painted in those tutti fruity like colors, sharp lime greens and screaming blues, and all those alien like faces, distorted, violent and yes compelling. I soon calmed down and started to get into her work,and by the time I wound up in the early work I was won over. This was a life well lived and painted, so if possible you should try to get there to see this show that will surprise but not necessarily delight you.