Clement Greenberg, the art critic at the New York Times, introduced the world to the “Washington Color School”. The Washington Color School was a combination of color field abstraction, and hard-line abstraction painters. A couple of these artists started a new tradition of putting paint directly on unprimed canvases, that created stained looking canvases. Alice Mostoff lived most of her life within minutes of Washington, DC, and was not listed as part of the Color School, however numerous artists were influenced by the emerging styles that came from the School. She was not included in the school partly because Mostoff arrived to late to be part of that art movement.
A retrospective review of Mostoff’s work has similarities to noted Washington artists such as Willem de Looper, American University instructor Robert Franklin Gates, and National Gallery print expert Jacob Kainen. These three men were also outliers of the Washington Color School, but they sat on the edge of this community as second generation color school members. Mostoff’s tendencies frequently reflected colorfield abstraction in similar manners to these artists. In the case of Mostoff, most of her work could be described as “Post Painterly Abstraction” meets “Color Field”.
Mostoff was noted for creating numerous monotype prints consisting of blocks of color, sometimes overlapping, at other times the blocks of color float over a background of color, as if she is reinterpreting Joseph Albers’ block paintings. Beyond her monotype prints, she would paint acrylic on canvas occasionally; brilliant color formed her palette with influences from her Florida winter retreat. In the “Untitled” painting below circa 1980’s, Mostoff uses a large canvas.
During her artistic career, she maintained a studio at the Arlington Arts Center in the 1970s before relocating to the Torpedo Art Factory in 1981. She quickly became associated with the Art Factory and maintained Studio #15 for about 25+ years where she found the sprit of camaraderie with the other women artists in neighboring studios. In the late 2000s her work went from abstraction to simplified colorfield landscapes. After her husband retired, they started spending their winter months in Stuart, Florida, where she became associated with the Elliott Museum. Her and husband still maintain a home in Florida.
Signature Examples:
Boland, Monica, Barcroft News Staff; Discovering the Many Sides of Visionary Artist Alice Mostoff; Sept. 2009, Monthly Newsletter, Pgs. 8 & 9.
Torpedo Factory Art Center records, Studio #15, Alexandria, VA 22314, (1981-to approximately 2009).
Arden, Blakeslee, Steis; Washington Art; Copyright 1988; Art Calendar, Great Falls, VA 22066; Pg. 81; Spectrum Gallery - Artists Regularly Shown, last exhibit 2005. Gallery now closed.
Washington Post, Art Calendar; Spectrum Gallery offers "Sights and Sounds," a solo exhibit of acrylic, monotype and collage abstractions by Alice Mostoff (through Oct. 5). 1989.
Monotypes and Acrylic Abstract Paintings by Alice Mostoff, Twentieth Century Gallery, 1990.
Artist Registry, Arts in Embassies, US Department of State.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art Collection at American University (Art Work).
The Bodzin Gallery of the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, Fairfax, VA; (Art Exhibit).
National Museum of American History, Washington D.C. (Collection).
William and Mary Review, published work.
Awards for landscape paintings, Elliott Museum, Stuart, Florida.
Private and Corporation Collections throughout the USA.
Numerous other references.
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A retrospective review of Mostoff’s work has similarities to noted Washington artists such as Willem de Looper, American University instructor Robert Franklin Gates, and National Gallery print expert Jacob Kainen. These three men were also outliers of the Washington Color School, but they sat on the edge of this community as second generation color school members. Mostoff’s tendencies frequently reflected colorfield abstraction in similar manners to these artists. In the case of Mostoff, most of her work could be described as “Post Painterly Abstraction” meets “Color Field”.
Mostoff was noted for creating numerous monotype prints consisting of blocks of color, sometimes overlapping, at other times the blocks of color float over a background of color, as if she is reinterpreting Joseph Albers’ block paintings. Beyond her monotype prints, she would paint acrylic on canvas occasionally; brilliant color formed her palette with influences from her Florida winter retreat. In the “Untitled” painting below circa 1980’s, Mostoff uses a large canvas.
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| Signed Lower Center in Pencil and Finger Prints "Alice Mostoff" Copyright Acrylic on Canvas Approximately 30 x 45 Inches, Silver Aluminum Frame |
Like a modern symphony she uses line, tone and resonance on this canvas, and the more you look, the painting promises more surprises. Adjacent to the four corners she borders the painting with colorfield areas of soft beige and pink beige that anchors the composition. The center is an outburst of notes culminating with a turquoise blue that is announced at the top of the painting with prolonged patches of color that bobs at the painting’s edges. Throughout the composition she creates ragged blocks of layered color with lines that seem quasi signals and symbols.
Mostoff uses adventurous exploration with minor touches of fluorescent green, orange and lemon, that hide next to the rugged blue and gray blocks and pillars. Her layering of colors clash with the theory of flatness, by adding darting black smudged lines. With these lines she is clearly using improvisational elements by adding these black lines that hold the composition within the boundaries of the painting. At the bottom of the painting she signs it so discreetly with a copyright symbol that is nearly unnoticeable.
Alice Popelowsky Mostoff (Mrs. Allan S. Mostoff) was born in 1932, a Brooklyn New York native. She attended Hunter College in NYC, obtaining a BA in Speech and Drama, and then went on to complete some graduate work at Brooklyn College and studied at the Brooklyn Museum. For years she taught at the junior high school level and was a director of a preschool before becoming a full-time artist. For years she lived in the exclusive Lake Barcroft neighborhood, of Falls Church, VA.
Mostoff uses adventurous exploration with minor touches of fluorescent green, orange and lemon, that hide next to the rugged blue and gray blocks and pillars. Her layering of colors clash with the theory of flatness, by adding darting black smudged lines. With these lines she is clearly using improvisational elements by adding these black lines that hold the composition within the boundaries of the painting. At the bottom of the painting she signs it so discreetly with a copyright symbol that is nearly unnoticeable.
Alice Popelowsky Mostoff (Mrs. Allan S. Mostoff) was born in 1932, a Brooklyn New York native. She attended Hunter College in NYC, obtaining a BA in Speech and Drama, and then went on to complete some graduate work at Brooklyn College and studied at the Brooklyn Museum. For years she taught at the junior high school level and was a director of a preschool before becoming a full-time artist. For years she lived in the exclusive Lake Barcroft neighborhood, of Falls Church, VA.
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| Photo of Alice Mostoff by Monica Boland, from Lake Barcroft Newsletter, Sept. 2009 |
Signature Examples:
Select References:
Boland, Monica, Barcroft News Staff; Discovering the Many Sides of Visionary Artist Alice Mostoff; Sept. 2009, Monthly Newsletter, Pgs. 8 & 9.
Torpedo Factory Art Center records, Studio #15, Alexandria, VA 22314, (1981-to approximately 2009).
Arden, Blakeslee, Steis; Washington Art; Copyright 1988; Art Calendar, Great Falls, VA 22066; Pg. 81; Spectrum Gallery - Artists Regularly Shown, last exhibit 2005. Gallery now closed.
Washington Post, Art Calendar; Spectrum Gallery offers "Sights and Sounds," a solo exhibit of acrylic, monotype and collage abstractions by Alice Mostoff (through Oct. 5). 1989.
Monotypes and Acrylic Abstract Paintings by Alice Mostoff, Twentieth Century Gallery, 1990.
Artist Registry, Arts in Embassies, US Department of State.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art Collection at American University (Art Work).
The Bodzin Gallery of the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, Fairfax, VA; (Art Exhibit).
National Museum of American History, Washington D.C. (Collection).
William and Mary Review, published work.
Awards for landscape paintings, Elliott Museum, Stuart, Florida.
Private and Corporation Collections throughout the USA.
Numerous other references.
________________________________________________________
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Waller-Yoblonsky Fine Art is a research collaborative, working to track artists that got lost and overlooked due to time, changing styles, race, gender and/or sexual orientation. Our frequent blogs highlight artists and art movements that need renewed attention with improved information for the researcher and art collectors. The blog was created by Mr. Waller and all written materials were obtained by the Fair Use Section 107, of The Copyright Act. #waller-yoblonskyblogspot #walleryoblonskyblogspot #alicemostoffartist #alicemostoffstuartflorida #alicemostofftorpedoartfactory 
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