artist
Mandelman’s life was firmly grounded in art with her first receiving training at age 12 at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art. She clearly was influenced by Louis Lozowick’s return from Russia where he visited with her parents and gave news of the Constructivist movement in art there. Much of the aesthetic in the Taos Modern group of which she was a part, has roots in the Constructivist movement.
Mandelman found great freedom in Taos and the ability to enjoy the history and culture of that area and to be able to pursue being an artist. Her husband was artist Louis Ribak and at the end of their lives much of their art and hard work toward the artist community in Taos is evident in the Harwood Museum in Taos and through the Mandelman-Ribak Foundation.
Description
Spring by Mandelman is a delicate and refreshing non-figurative composition. It has a sprightly quality that is evocative of fresh green foliage, sunlight and blossoming form. Mandelman often used starkly white backgrounds to set off her choice of forms and color. She takes away any spatial depth and allows it all to compete on the same plane in a graphic way. This results in the viewers eye having no competition but to follow the patterns and movements of her shapes. Mandelman rarely did a balanced composition and almost sought to unbalance any of her spatial decisions. Psychologically this leads us to recognize her individuality and deviation.
provenance
The Artist to Estate of the artist
203 Fine Art, Taos, New Mexico
Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, IL., Post Was and Contemporary Art, 4 May 2021