Vincent Inconiglios’ new work is reminiscent of ’50s abstraction, and one could easily supply the pretentious rhetoric to go along with it. A press release for the show states: “His geometric planes further re-emphasize his involvement with space and emote a dynamic quality of directed movement.” What planes? What space? What movement? Granted—work born out of such formalist language can only be talked about using that language. However, I prefer talking about the paintings for what they are and not what they’re supposed to do visually.

The drawings in the show are more successful in their subtlety; but then only as a contrast to the obvious radiance of the bright oranges and greens in the paintings. The paintings’ major areas are divided by clear white bands, where masking tape was removed to expose raw, unprimed canvas. Painterly charcoal smudges put me off because they are so contrived in their deliberate compositional placement.

—Francis Naumann