Edward Dugmore is a first-generation Abstract Expressionist who is often referred to as a second-generation member of the New York School. Although relegating Dugmore to the less prestigious status as a second-generation artist is incorrect (he was born in 1915 and began exhibiting regularly in 1950), it accurately conveys the sense that his paintings are derivative.
His abstractions rarely have the presence of original discoveries or inventions but instead seem to be personal translations of other, more influential artists' formal breakthroughs. At Manny Silverman Gallery, a survey of works on paper from 1948-85 presents a quick, historically interesting sketch of Dugmore's consistently academic explorations.
Most of the 40 modestly scaled works here consist of attentive applications of lessons learned from Still, Rothko, Gottlieb and Motherwell. Dugmore's tendency to make slight adjustments and to fine-tune others' techniques regularly results in fully resolved works that often lack tension and energy.
A colorful triptych and a series of black-and-white ink washes depict schematic landscapes and register Dugmore's connection to Bay Area painting, which traditionally has maintained a strong link between abstraction and representation.
