Artist and art writer Joe Fig is interested in how contemporary art is made, viewed, and judged. His book Inside the Artist’s Studio provides a fascinating perspective on the role of the studio. The archly clever paintings in “Contemplating Compositions,” his solo show at Cristin Tierney Gallery, drill down on the presentation of art. Fig’s paintings show people looking at it in museums and galleries. They are small enough to fit into carry-on luggage, and so meticulously painted that they at first appear to be photographs. Unlike photographs, however, they don’t induce vanity. Whereas Thomas Struth’s famous 1990s shots of spectators in churches and museums seeing art made me feel as though I should wear a nice Italian suit to the Prado, Fig’s paintings allow the spectators, generally with their backs turned, to keep their privacy as they view the work indicated in the title. We are given no sense of the identities, conversations, or social status of these spectators. The premium is on seeing, not being seen.
