Katz clearly still knows how to take over a room

Feb. 17--Alex Katz, at 78, is still shaking things up. His exhibition of recent paintings at the Richard Gray Gallery proceeds along familiar lines. Yet because they work so well, there is still a subversive kind of exhilaration in them.

Few painters take over a room with as much apparent innocence. Katz presents female heads and bodies backed by bright, mostly uninflected colors. But on his scale -- that of a billboard or movie screen -- these women, most as happy and accommodating as in a cosmetics ad, completely dominate the space without betraying the least bit of aggression.

This time Katz reclaims the color pink from decades of use by feminist artists. Here pink is a backdrop to three younger women; the one called Mae folds her arms and stares intently at us, and we feel we're in trouble even though we're seeing her in only a 16-by-12-inch study. The other two, immense by comparison but more neutral in expression, immediately, quietly take over, as if they were the wholesome granddaughters of femmes fatales in late 19th Century paintings.

Katz's nature pictures have never interested me to the same degree because they have no darker, assertive undercurrent. They seem to present an optimist's view of the natural world, which man inhabits peacefully, sometimes with the suggestion of ease that comes from money. Those who buy them may believe their well-being disguises an edge, though it's difficult to discern.

At 875 N. Michigan Ave., 312-642-8877.

In music, the simpler a theme, the better suited it is for variations. But in the visual arts, that is not necessarily true. Fairly complex themes also have worked well when used for variations, and the Valerie Carberry Gallery now has a rare showing of one of them along with the brilliant transformations and elaborations it prompted.

In 1970, James Brooks, a figurative artist who came to favor Abstract Expressionist improvisation, made five lithographs at Chiron Press in New York.

Four were in color; the last one, which dissatisfied him, was black-and-white. Four years later, while rummaging in his studio, Brooks came across some of the impressions of this final print, and it proved to be the kind of "accident" he had come to look for.

The horizontally disposed print, which is abstract yet suggests aspects of a landscape, became the basis for 11 variations, made by adding ink, dyes, gouache, crayons, pencil and collage. In each case, the original print is altered by Brooks' additions, occasionally so much so that the theme is completely submerged and unrecognizable.

Sometimes he turned the print on its side or inverted it before adding to it. But the variations that use the print right side up are no less arresting.

Carberry additionally shows three Brooks paintings from the period, and it is reasonable to argue that the print variations equal and in some cases surpass them in sheer graphic power.

At 875 N. Michigan Ave., 312-397-9990.

How much does subject matter account for the appeal of a given work of art? Not so long ago, we might have elevated how an artwork was created above what it depicted. But subject matter always has exerted a strong grip over many viewers, affecting the novice and experienced spectator alike.

The appeal of Jan Theun van Rees' color photographs at the Chicago Cultural Center is, it seems to me, largely dependent on subject matter, for the Dutch lensman shoots abandoned and generally unseen places.

The prints thus give a strong sense of exploration combined with the satisfaction that comes from being in on the revelation of a secret.

Not long ago, the photographer shot in hidden spaces at the Cultural Center, Uptown Theater and Unity Temple in Oak Park. Little he found there was unusual, yet because of the off-limits character of the places, some have the exotic appeal of rooms in a palace shown in 19th Century travel photos.

The images of abandoned galleries in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in the Netherlands are particularly beautiful as much for the architecture as for the fact that public entry is forbidden.

But elsewhere, the appeal of the pictures is mainly for what is depicted and how a camera has at last given access to strange realms that exist side-by-side with the familiar.

At 78 E. Washington St., 312-744-6630; with a complementary show at Unity Temple, 875 Lake Street, Oak Park; 708-383-8873.

The push of digital technology into art making has seemed to spur an equal and opposite reaction in favor of two of the oldest forms of handmade art, drawing and painting. This, combined with an attraction to art from periods before the artists were born, has given a distinct look to much representational work created today.

Sandra Dawson's new paintings at the Byron Roche Gallery have an old, weathered look that reveals parts of several earlier layers. By such means, the artist wants to suggest a long history, which is also supported by images from aged botanical and nature books plus folk art from past centuries.

A single image of, say, a butterfly or bird is framed by two wide surrounds. The first may suggest a floral textile pattern; the second, a wooden frame with incised motifs and numerous scars. The notion of a keepsake handed down through generations is never far away.

The figurative pieces may also have words, as if in illustration of a homily, and a curious folklike quality that involves affectionate caricature.

These pieces could be portraits of the artist's contemporaries, transported back in time to early American or Spanish-colonial places. They work in part because they show a light, humorous aspect and do not overdo the whimsy. By contrast, the pieces with nature images appeal more to the sense of touch.

At 750 N. Franklin St., 312-654-0144.

Alex Katz at the Richard Gray Gallery through March 31.

James Brooks at the Valerie Carberry Gallery through March 25.

Jan Theun van Rees at the Chicago Cultural Center through March 19.

Sandra Dawson at the Byron Roche Gallery through Feb. 17.

aartner@tribune.com

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