Oscar “Andy” Hammerstein III has a rich heritage, being the great great grandson of the famed Broadway composer Oscar Hammerstein. His dynamic artistic ability is shown through his stunning works of art, which are inspired by nighttime car rides on the Saw Mill Parkway. Think of his work in terms of a musical score, jazz for example, has a theme, a form, a melody and improvisation.
Looking at ‘Shenandoah Twilight’, a large scale oil on canvas, the blue overtones could be thought of as the theme, form takes shape in abstracted geometry, complementary colored shapes among this sea of blue capture the melody, while change in color intensity serve as artistic improvisation. “In these abstracts, I am synthesizing the experience of driving down a road. I am on one road, but that road divides into many possible roads, seen as overlaid fragments in the distance. My paintings attempt to capture, not a single moment, but, rather, the distillation of driving over time. They are a collected, streamlined, stylized memory of the experience of highway driving, from the blur of the guardrail to glimpses of unknown roads beyond the bend. My highway paintings depict the road’s seductive lure and the thrill of where it may lead. This is a metaphor for my life – perhaps, yours, too. I am an old-fashioned Modernist. Like the Abstract Expressionists, I value individuality, immediacy and the power of color. Like the Futurists, I endeavor to compress many events into a single image, distilling the essence of a visual experience. (Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase and the many works of Italian Futurists like Umberto Boccioni and Giacomo Balla are informed by a similar depiction of movement, speed and intent.)
I have always sought to bring an intimate, personal immediacy unburdened by intellectual and political declarations or ironic detachment. Post-modernism bores me. I favor the direct, simple statement. Each painting has its own personality. This highway theme focuses all my painting techniques to one purpose. In this way I can gauge my own progress – learn from what came before and to go further still.”