David Zwirner’s Upper East Side gallery is presenting an exhibition of Ad Reinhardt’s abstract paintings from the 1940’s.  Most of the work is quite gestural. But two small scale Untitled canvases from 1940 incorporate interesting geometric elements.

This first painting features an underlying square grid pattern.

This second painting has even more mathematical connections, possessing both horizontal and vertical lines of symmetry. This work also explores self-similarity in the nine rectangles and the overall dimensions of the canvas.

Susan Happersett