Charles Nègre

Hans P. Kraus Jr.

962 Park Ave.


Through Nov. 1

Charles Nègre's 'Fréjus,' (1852) at Hans P. Kraus Jr. Hans P. Kraus Jr., Inc. New York

Painting has been photography's older sibling from the start. Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre (1787-1851) was an established painter before he perfected the technology that became the daguerreotype. Charles Nègre (1820-1880) also came to photography from painting, as did many of his contemporaries. Five years after Daguerre announced his invention to great public acclaim, Nègre was taking photographs as an aid to his painting, although he used the negative process invented by the Englishman William Fox Talbot (1880-1877). Nègre continued with his successful painting career but, from first conceiving of his photographs solely as aids for himself, he next commercialized his pictures of public buildings, ruins, landscapes, seascapes and still-lifes by making them available to other painters, and then came to think of them as works of art in themselves to be sold to the public. The prints and negatives on display at Kraus demonstrate how quickly photography absorbed resources from its sibling.

Painting taught photography what qualified as a subject and how to develop significant compositions. In Nègre's "Une rue à 'Grasse'" (1852), our eye follows a zigzag path up through a small Provençal town past buildings of varying sizes, textures and orientations to the light. "Notre-Dame, Paris" (c. 1853) was shot straight on, the building standing as a solitary work of art. For "Roman ramparts, 'Arles'" (c. 1854), Nègre used his paintbrush to create highlights on the negative.

This is the first solo exhibition of Nègre's photographs in the U.S., a rare opportunity to study an early master.

Remnants: Louise Nevelson & Aaron Siskind

Bruce Silverstein

535 W. 24th St.


Through Nov. 2

Aaron Siskind's 'Martha's Vineyard' (1955) at Bruce Silverstein Aaron Siskind/Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Silverstein's exhibition brings together Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) and Aaron Siskind (1903-1991), two artists who were contemporaries and subject to the same artistic currents, although the former worked in a three-dimensional medium and the latter in a two-dimensional one. The photographs by Mr. Siskind date from 1940 to 1984, and Ms. Nevelson's sculptures from 1945 to 1981, a period dominated by Abstract Expressionism and abstraction in general. Mr. Siskind's early work, when he was associated with the Photo League, was documentary in nature, but by 1940 he had abjured politics and dedicated himself to an aesthetic devoid of social connotations. He photographed objects so close up that, even when they are recognizable, they are deprived of context. "Untitled (Martha's Vineyard)" (1940) is a piece of driftwood that has to be appreciated for itself, because there is nothing in the image to lend it additional meaning. "Seaweed #8, Martha's Vineyard, MA" (1953) is a single strand that might be a bit of delicate calligraphy in some unknown alphabet. "Gloucester 6" (1944) is lumber, part of some undetermined structure.

Ms. Nevelson's sculptures are fashioned from oddments that have no value except to an artist who can combine them into a satisfying assemblage. Silverstein juxtaposes works by these two artists that incorporate similar shapes or materials, frequently wood or stone, so that they echo each other. Both artists make strong demands on the imaginations of their viewers, but flatter them by presuming they are capable of the necessary effort.

Christine Osinski: From Staten Island

Sasha Wolf Gallery

70 Orchard St.


Through Oct. 27

'Three Women with Bat' (1983-84) by Christine Osinski at Sasha Wolf Christine Osinski/Sasha Wolf Gallery

Is it time or place that makes Christine Osinski's pictures of 1980s Staten Island seem so distant? It could be the hair. The "Two Girls With Matching Outfits" (1983-84) have Farrah Fawcett hairdos; although their hair is dark, there is a lot of it. Their matching rompers look more J.C. Penney than H&M, and their postures, particularly the one on the left, date them.

Be that as it may, Ms. Osinski filled her frame with them, and presents them affectionately. It is not without significance that the building behind them has sheltered space for automobiles. Vehicles are present in 18 of the 23 black-and-white pictures up at Wolf, and in several cases are the point of the image. "Ziebart Auto Repair" (1983-84) is nestled under the Bayonne Bridge and separated from Gem Transmissions and Arties Paint & Auto Body by a chain-link fence. The "Three Women With Bat" (1983-84) are posed at the back of a Cadillac, one of them sitting on the trunk with a can of Budweiser beside her. One of the "Two Boys With Automobile" (1983-84) leans possessively against the side of a behemoth Oldsmobile while the other peers at the camera from the driver's seat.

There is precious little art photography from Staten Island, so Ms. Osinski's work is especially welcome. Her exploration of the tract housing with its faux Tara-like porticos, and her sensitive portraits from 30 years ago of people living between the Lower Bay and New Jersey, remain vital.
