Deviating from the color of the artist’s initial source material—a fragmented letter form appropriated from a neon sign in Times Square—the light-blue color of the central icon here suggests sky, and the gray color of the background, paired with the deckle-edged, coarsely textured paper, suggests stone. These allusions to natural elements were common in Chryssa’s early days with the Coentities Slip artist group in Lower Manhattan. Looking out at the East River from their painting and sculpture studios, Chryssa and fellow Slip artists like Agnes Martin often sought to capture both the tranquility and sublimity of nature, in contrast to their contemporary Abstract Expressionist counterparts. However, this screenprint is not completely divorced from its Gotham roots ; the light-gray field sparkles like the Times Square sidewalks, which glittered with glass particles (today replaced with silicon carbide) embedded in the cement.
–When We Were Young: Rethinking Abstraction From The University At Albany Art Collections (1967-Present)