The title Entropvisions is in homage to my mother, the poet and art critic, Harriet Zinnes. In 1990 New Directions published a collection of her poems titled Entropisms, a word she made-up combining entropy - the tendency toward disorder - and tropism - the growth towards or away from a stimulus. Similarly, my short reviews combine entropy and tropism by suggesting growth towards a vision of art from the chaos of the art world. Through the back door, my title also pays homage to my physicist father, Irving Zinnes, whose long discussions with my mom got her thinking about entropy and tropism in the first place.
My last stop in my whirlwind tour of the Hudson Valley (see my previous three posts) was at Eric T Banks's studio. On entering I just exclaimed "Wow!" The intensity of serious work was palpable. Everywhere were sculptures, paintings, drawings. tools and materials. Both Eric's sculptures and paintings blend a strong sense of form, mixed with enigmatic stories, and in both, abstract shapes anthropomorphize into loving and determined creatures that gain my sympathy as they struggle in their somewhat threatening environments. What a privilege to have to have been able to experiences this fertile space. Thank you Eric!