Joan Busing: Abstract Thoughts

"That which they call abstract is the most realistic, because what is real is not the exterior but the idea, the essence of things." - Constantin Brancusi
As James J. Gibson, a pioneer in the field of visual perception, noted, “The abstract analysis of the world by mathematics and physics rests on the concepts of space and time.” However, we do not actually perceive space or time; we only perceive certain qualities that we associate with each. For space, we perceive limited persisting properties: surface layout (shape, size, and relative position of objects); substance (color, texture, and solidity); and illumination (shadow, shading, and lighting direction).
This hardwired mode of perception is, of course, what makes nonobjective art resonate. We don’t directly perceive an objective space. Instead, we model objective reality from our perception of limited properties such as size, shape, color, texture, and light. Our mind translates these abstract qualities into an objective space. Just as mathematics allows a physicist to communicate the deeper reality beyond the surface we perceive, artists can use the limited abstract properties that we directly perceive to convey a fully conceived space.
Joan Busing’s monoprints make brilliant use of these properties and the resulting suggestion of space. Through color and form, Busing not only creates space but fills it with place, time, and feeling. The monoprints are nonobjective, but they evoke a reality far beyond paint on paper.
. . .
Busing expands upon the legacy of Abstract Expressionism in the 1980s. Similar to artists like David Reed and Marylyn Dintenfass, she uses layers of thin color, applied in gestural strokes and playful geometric patterns. Busing creates her monoprints by painting each layer on a separate piece of plexiglass, then each layer is separately transferred to paper using a press, making a unique, irreproducible print.