Architecture of the Sky

The paintings of Ross Bleckner refer to many of the "isms" that preceded his emergence in the 1980s as a young artist to watch: the overall composition of Abstract Expressionism, the grid of Minimalism, even the illusory effects of short-lived Op Art. In his work he fuses figurative indicators and optical illusion to achieve an otherworldly quality; the paint's luminous and transcendent properties clearly allude to a spiritual realm. Bleckner was among the first artists to explicitly address AIDS, in the mid-1980s, and his engagement in his paintings with the world remains one of his strengths. Bleckner bought the late writer Truman Capote's small saltbox in Sagaponack in the early 1990s, and enlarged it and constructed an adjoining studio. He is generous with his home, and is known for hosting fund-raisers for various causes during the summer season, thus extending a sense of community in the East End.