A mystic embellishment of Old Testament heroism establishes the continuity of a large selection of Max Band’s oil paintings. “Exodus”’ churning sea and illumined heavens remind us of the heaven and sea visions of an opaque Turner, where huge rolling waves are stayed and the multitude paces into Light. “Abraham’s Search for God” finds an unreserved lyricism fulfilling Band’s quest for pictorial realization, the coupling of biblical dream, revelation, and fervent literature into sensuous oils of empathic promise. The rich and sensitive “Galilee,” fresh, direct, and free of predetermined content, stands out among a small number of recent landscapes, flower pieces, and somber soulful yearning portraits that smack of remembrances and tired pictorial triumphs.
—S. C. Schoneberg
