Hollywood

Michael Roberts continues to make all-black paintings composed of series of joined panels pitting absolutely flat black surfaces against black atmospheres that show the artist’s hand, the striations of brush strokes and the reddish tint of under layers. The spirit of these works is close to that of Ad Reinhardt who eventually reduced his canvases to one color hoping to provide a single concentrated emotional experience.

Like Reinhardt, Roberts seems to be juggling marginally differing tones of “blackness” so that deciphering them requires long mediative gazes. In these stimulation--saturated times, it’s tough to wind down enough for these ruminative paintings to hit home; if you’re in a hurry and looking for a quick flash and an easy read, these works aren’t for you. (Newspace, 5241 Melrose Ave., to May 7.)