BY JOHN GOODRICH
THE NEW YORK SUN
JUNE 9, 2005
In some circles, a predilection for luminously scenic landscapes could be injurious to a reputation—all the more so when the painter favors mist-wrapped sites and a quietly expressionistic technique. In Anne Peretz’s recent paintings of New Zealand and Massachusetts shores, however, her earnestness seems directed towards goals much more interesting than the picturesque.
Ms. Peretz’s Zen-like simplification of motifs isn’t just a pose: Raw but subtle pressures of color work from within to give a palpable presence to forms—the spreading, foreground dunes of “Truro Dune #10,” for instance, or the crowding, teetering posts that stare back from the foggy mid-distance of “Pilings #4.” In “Milford Sound #3,” the drawing’s rhythm is so understated as to seem almost subliminal. Yet their rigor can be felt in the tiers of ochre’s and greens that cohere powerfully into the drama of a huge bluff.
Not every painting has such vital rhythms, and Ms. Peretz continually risks sentimentality. But in her pursuit of deeper appearances, the artist seems unconcerned about superficial ones. Many contemporary artists telegraph their intensity through shocking techniques or images, and here it’s bracing to see colors and forms allowed—trusted—to speak for themselves. After all, this may be the biggest gamble of all.
