Beverly Fishman USA, b. 1955
Untitled (Depression, Missing Dose), 2022
Urethane paint on wood
39 x 40 3/8 x 2 in
99.1 x 102.5 x 5.1 cm
99.1 x 102.5 x 5.1 cm
8357
This elegant, translucent multiform is part of Beverly Fishman’s series of Dividose paintings, which deploys Fishman’s personal geometric visual alphabet abstracted from pharmaceutical forms. Here we see an abstracted depression...
This elegant, translucent multiform is part of Beverly Fishman’s series of Dividose paintings, which deploys Fishman’s personal geometric visual alphabet abstracted from pharmaceutical forms. Here we see an abstracted depression pill divided into four sections. The fourth section is enlarged and extends outward from the rest of the sections—its inside, meanwhile, has been carved out. Fishman calls these empty spaces in her works “missing doses.” The term relates to the habit of people skipping a dose of their medicine, sometimes by choice, other times out of economic necessity. Within the painting, the void creates an opportunity for reflected color to project onto the wall, illuminating the emptiness. Such a gesture brings to mind the philosophies embraced by Light and Space artists. In the space of a missed dose, a clearing is created in which contemplation, and even transcendence becomes possible. For Fishman, the experiential potential of this work raises questions about the similarities between humanity’s relationship with art and its relationship with medicine.