HESSE FLATOW presents Analytic Third, a solo exhibition of new paintings by San Francisco Bay Area artist Sarah Blaustein. In her second presentation with the gallery, Blaustein explores the transcendent space between artwork and viewer. Drawing from the psychoanalytic concept of the “analytic third,” the intersubjective space between therapist and patient where the patient shares, explores, and activates their ideas, Blaustein’s work invites the viewer to narrow their viewing range, come closer, and engage in self-reflection. The works function as tools for the viewer to better connect to their own humanity.
Blaustein’s paintings feel alive—growing, breathing, and appearing almost wet to the eye, pulsating with energy. They shift in response to those who encounter them. Using acrylic and ink, chosen for their permanence, she creates spontaneous, gestural marks that activate space and transform perception, drawing the viewer in and out of the work. Employing a range of brushes — house painters’ brushes, boar bristle brushes, acrylic brushes, sponges, and rags—she remains acutely attuned to each moment, maintaining a continuous, responsive dialogue with the evolving piece.
For Blaustein, water acts as a primary medium, symbolizing the life-giving force of the paintings. Their wet quality suggests movement, as if the markings could dissolve or float away at any moment. This emphasis on water imbues the work with an intrinsic wetness and juiciness, evoking powerful associations with the body. Guided by this element, the viewer is invited to reflect on the physicality and life force inherent in the paintings.
Blaustein’s color palette is inspired by her everyday life, the moments she witnesses, and the experiences she recalls, blending these memories into the intuitive process of her work. By juxtaposing electric, bold colors with soft pastels, Blaustein charges her work with both energy and weight, capturing the beauty of fleeting moments and the melancholy of their impermanence. “I react to the colors I’ve already applied to the canvas, working in a collaborative back and forth with the work,” the artist shared. “I am interested in the idea of the economy of means. The lightest touch can make the biggest impact in making the work feel most alive.”
Blaustein’s practice is driven by a deep desire to capture the intangible emotions that surge within her, particularly as a woman navigating the world. In Analytic Third T-2 (2025), she creates vibrant, swirling patterns with intricate brushstrokes that pulse with energy and motion. Fluid shapes interweave across the canvas, with rich hues of green, pink, red, and purple, accented by bursts of yellow and blue. The work channels visceral, often unseen feelings, tapping into life-force energies that are both personal and universal.
As Blaustein explains, “The moments that make me feel the most alive can feel overwhelming because they are gone in an instant. In these works, I wanted to capture this dichotomy of fleeting/fragile time with the strong feeling it creates. I wanted the marks to feel light to touch and weightless, almost as if they could be blown away, while simultaneously creating a powerful tension with the build up of marks, capturing the feeling of compression and expansion of the moment.”
