Vasken Kalayjian’s transcendent abstract paintings by Tony Cavanaugh

Can a temporary painter practice a vital strain of abstraction, yet evolve a personal language to address the concerns of his heart and mind? The affirmative answer to this question can be found in the solo show of Vasken Kalayjian, at Cast Iron Gallery, 159 Mercer Street, from October 26 through November 14.

Kalayjian’s work is informed by the tragic history of the Armenian people, as well as by his spiritual practice. His study of Zen Buddhism and Japanese calligraphy is evident in his spontaneous gestural approach, yet, in his coloristic boldness, the aggressive scale of his compositions, and the sheer physicality of his surfaces, he is also very much a Western painter in the tradition of Abstract Expressionism. This combination of influences makes for paintings that are, at once, bold and lyrical, delicate and powerful.

In “Empty of Mind”, its title suggesting the perfect state of Zen enlightenment, Kalayjian creates a dynamic composition in which a ladderlike black grid overlays a shimmering welter of red, yellow, and blue strokes. While various images can be read into many of Kalayjian’s abstract forms, rarely does he introduce a recognizable figure. A singular exception is “Transcending,” where a sensual female nude is partially obliterated by an agitated network of white lines, creating a compelling visual metaphor for the constant struggle between the spirit and the flesh.

More frequently, Kalayjian employs totally abstract forms to convey complex ideas through spatial relationships and the underlying tensions or harmonies that they suggest. He is one of those rare artists who can call up a host of subconscious associations through a highly refined visual vocabulary of private symbols, such as the bold black girds and bars that often suggest oppressive forces against which the human spirit must struggle, as seen in his “Negation Series.” Here, his gestural energy is at its fiercest pitch, as he plays slashingly violent elements against lyrical passages of vibrant color, achieving symphonically dramatic contrasts. In the “Negation Series,” his method of attack ranges from the most delicate tonal nuances to an almost brutal assault upon the established niceties of technique, all made cohere through his unique ability to improvise with the freedom of a jazz musician.

In other paintings, such as “Across Sacredness, Part I and II,” Kalayjian works in a stately vertical format, employing lyrical painterly shapes within geometrically segmented compositions that project a palpable spiritual presence. In these and other large abstractions within a similar vein, he mines a rich mother lode of implied religiosity akin to Mark Rothko and Mark Tobey.

Vasken Kalayjian, who has been hailed as “an artist for the Millennium,” does indeed seem spiritually and aesthetically in tune with the New Age. He has stated that painting, for him, is a form of meditation. In this superb exhibition, the viewer, too, is transported to a higher state of being.