American Art Collector – August 2019

107

SHOW PREVIEW

reflections, banal musings of celebrities or
phrases overheard from strangers.”
“The statements themselves coalesce
to form a constellation of expressions
that vacillate between the poles of vulgar,
violent, gorgeous, phrases culled from
personal musings, aphorisms, fragments
of forgotten poetry or the banal, pithy,
heartbroken musings of stars or strangers,”
says Manitach.
Some of the works are merely a phrase,
some longer poems while others still find
meaning in the pairing of seemingly dispa-
rate words or ideas. The words are placed
against a backdrop of “lush patterning
drawn in colored pencil and inspired by
Victorian domestic wallpaper design.”
The key to this is drawing. Manitach gets
up close and personal in these new works,
drawing each line, making the marks,
allowing her hands to rub over the paper,
smudging the pencil lines and revealing

the process behind the work.

“They are rooted in drawing,” says

Manitach. “The drawn mark has always

held endless fascination, as a document of

labor, a marker of the passage, of time, the

most rudimentary tool for communication

and expression.”

Art and words intersect the verbal

and visual mediums in interesting and

thought-provoking patterns. Many artists

don’t like to write about their work. Others

have said quite often that if they could

verbalize what they are doing they would

be writers rather than painters. Yes, so

much validation of visual work comes

from written criticism.

“In the age of internet especially,

everything fades,” says Manitach. “Words

trend like a breath and are lost. In an era

of digital ephemera and brevity, I can play

the role of arbiter and author, immortal-

izing the thoughts and words that give

shape to collective consciousness and

expression.”

Winston Wächter Fine Art

530 W. 25th Street • New York, NY 10001

(212) 255-2718 • http://www.winstonwachter.com

1
Amanda Manitach in her
studio.

2
I’m Sorry For The Things
I Said While Mercury Was
In Retrograde, colored
pencil on paper, 25 x 40"

3

Do You Ever Ache So

Hard, colored pencil

on paper, 40 x 25"

4

You Had Me At NYC,

colored pencil on paper,

76 x 51"

3

4