Artist Sets The Brush Free

The three paintings are a celebration of abstraction, and abstraction of a particularly kinetic variety. The canvases convey the energy of a brush moving fast, decisions made at speed, less like deliberation and more like reaction, like a skier weaving through the woods. But the painter’s experience shows in the overall decisions made about the painting. The color choices set them off from one another, making each hue vibrate just a little more intensely. Most important is the decision of when to stop; even moving fast, the artist kept an eye on the whole, and in this case, let all that white space speak for itself.

The paintings are part of ​“Freewheeling,” a show of paintings by City Gallery’s newest member, Robert Jacoby, running now at the Upper State Street gallery through Nov. 29. Jacoby has been an artist since the mid-1980s, ​“focusing first on figurative drawing and painting, then moving to abstraction in 2010,” he writes. ​“The transition was initially to explore duende, the internal force inherent to flamenco which inspires blazing performance ranging from subtle to flamboyant and tragic to joyful. It encouraged a freewheeling style, guided often, and perhaps unsurprisingly, by spontaneous responses to emerging composition and color, but always seeking forceful expression. Thus, I give priority to authenticity as I perceive it over deference to voice.” That authenticity shines through in Jacoby’s paintings, as they simultaneously communicate a balance of discovery and wisdom.

The show particularly works as an introduction to Jacoby’s painting practice by including a few canvases that suggest a greater degree of deliberation than some of his wilder pieces. One of them is a set of light blue arcs set against a darker blue background, an austere image somewhere between an eclipse and a ring left by a coffee mug on a tablecloth. Entry is made with similarly obvious discipline: one geometric shape, limited color palette, with the rigor making the statement.

This makes the exuberance of canvases like Eureka! all the more pleasurable, knowing that the artist could have almost fully reined it in, or stopped before filling the canvas. But not this time. Eureka! and other pieces in the exhibition show the artist making good on the title ​“freewheeling.” They’re what it looks like when Jacoby hits the gas on his paintings and just cuts loose. The feeling of freedom is especially sweet placed in contrast to other artists who are decades into their career. One path for artists with long histories is to tend toward understatedness, even starkness, and there can be a keen beauty in that. But it’s also a thrill to see an established artist still taking risks, experimenting. The risk throws off sparks.

“Freewheeling” runs at City Gallery, 994 State St., through Nov. 29. Visit City Gallery’s website for hours and more information.