Weekly Art Lens by Beth Shook

Sebastian Martorana’s marble Impressions (2009) are on view this week at Irvine Contemporary. Image courtesy Irvine Contemporary. Copyright Sebastian Martorana.

Pattern: Three Generations of Shape and Color
This is your last week to catch a small but vibrant exhibition of three generations of color-field painting at the Carroll Square Gallery. The show positions a 1967 work by Thomas Downing, of the ubiquitous Washington Color School, in the midst of divergent works by two contemporary painters: celebrated local artist Tom Green and Baltimore-based emerging artist Linling Lu. These two begin with the flat color and symmetry of their hard-edge predecessors, but go on to weave in decorative elements — Green through evocative, minimalist glyphs and Lu in one highly geometric portrait.
Where: Carroll Square Gallery (Metro: Metro Center or Gallery Place-Chinatown)
When: Until Aug. 26.
How Much: Free

“Artist Tribute 2” Grand Finale Block Party
This Thursday Irvine Contemporary wraps up the final exhibition at their Logan Circle space with a bang. Works on view include Shepard Fairey’s Flag series, a homage to Jasper Johns, and Sebastian Martorana’s clever marble monuments to fleeting everyday moments (above). Music will be provided by local DJs Yoko K and Will Eastman. While Director Martin Irvine has yet to announce a new permanent space for his gallery, two fall exhibitions are already planned for the Montserrat House at 9th and U St. NW.
Where: Irvine Contemporary (Metro: Dupont Circle)
When: Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.
How Much: Free

Continues after the jump.

Phillips After 5, Food Truck Fiesta & Closing Party
On the other side of Dupont Circle, the Phillips and Hillyer Art Space will be teaming up for a party of their own. The event ostensibly celebrates two photography solo shows now on view at Hillyer, but seems more like an excuse to relieve end-of-summer blues. In addition to admission to the Phillips’ permanent collection, the event will include an art scavenger hunt, a Kandinsky lecture, music by electric cellist Wytold and Latin jazz musician Mark Merella, food trucks with special deals for attendees, a tequila tasting and a photo booth.
Where: Hillyer Art Space and the Phillips Collection (Metro: Dupont Circle)
When: Aug. 25 from 5 to 9:30 p.m.
How Much: Phillips After 5 is $12 for non-members, $10 for students and seniors, and free for members and children under 18. Tickets can be purchased here. Hillyer Art Space charges no admission.

Sweet Silent Thought: Whistler’s Interiors The Freer Gallery dips again into its collection of paintings and works on paper by American expat James McNeill Whistler to present an exhibition that is at once tranquil and troubling. The show focuses in part on the paradoxical spaces of Victorian femininity: interiors such as bedrooms and music rooms that should evoke intimacy and privacy, but are ultimately undermined by the presence of the male artist. The intentionally superficial title suggests that in fact there is more to Whistler’s sensitive renderings and his subjects’ introspection than just sweetness and silence. The permanent collection exhibition Freer & Whistler: Points of Contact is also
currently on view.
Where: Freer Gallery of Art (Metro: Smithsonian)
When: Until Summer 2012.
How Much: Free

Short list: Gallery Talk: “15 Pairs of Hands” by Bruce Nauman at the National Gallery of Art; Excercise Your Mynd: BK Adams IAMART at the Anacostia Community Museum; Black Box: Nira Pereg at the Hirshhorn Museum.