Joan Snyder
Women abstract expressionist painters have been neglected, but Joan Mitchell was the subject of a major retrospective in 2002, and now Joan Snyder, a painter whose questing work ventures into territory that would be called, years after her pioneering explorations, neoexpressionism, is accorded the attention she deserves in a volume of vibrant reproductions and enlightening and enjoyable commentary. Herrera, known best for her biography of Frida Kahlo, writes that Snyder's richly hued, dramatically textured, and palpably spiritual paintings "pulsate with energy." Snyder's works are symphonic and kinetic. Some resemble samplers or quilts, others depict fields both earthy and abstract, and yet others offer provocative variations on the motifs of Marsden Hartley, Arthur Dove, Anselm Kiefer, and early Rauschenberg. Rooted in her life, her feminist perspective, and her communion with nature, Snyder's daring, high-voltage works reach for amplitude, emotional verity, and a connection with the "inner structure of matter." Herrera and her contributors offer just enough biography and criticism to establish an illuminating context for Snyder's paintings and then leave the viewer free to absorb these boldly expressive and enlightening works head-on.Donna SeamanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved