Ends And Beginnings

Dolby Chadwick Gallery presents a new solo exhibition for Alex Kanevsky through December 1.

- Rochelle Belsito

Spanish artist Pablo Picasso once said, “As far as I am concerned, a painting speaks for itself. What is the use of giving explanations when all is said and done? A painter has only one language.”

What Picasso was likely referring to is visual language, or the meaning that can be derived from a work of art by looking at it. This idea of visual language is the cornerstone of Russian-born artist Alex Kanevsky’s artwork, which is meant to be interpreted at face value.

“Painting speaks to zeitgeist. [The English language] deals instead with narratives and concepts,” he says. “I feel that my job is to speak the former as clearly and succinctly as I possibly can. The latter is only important to open the doors and set the general direction. It is a bit like riding a motorcycle: a problematic form of transportation to get you e† ciently from point A to point B, yet it often makes the entire journey worthwhile.”

Through December 1, Dolby Chadwick Gallery in San Francisco, which has represented the artist for more than 15 years, will present the solo show Fin de Siècle featuring Kanevsky’s latest paintings. The title for the show, which translates from French to end of the century, is a term often used to define the ending of one era and the beginning of another. It has particularly been used to describe the end of the 19th century, when it marked hope for a new beginning.