Ross Bleckner, Gold Count No Count, 1991, oil on canvas, 96 x 72", collection United Yarn Products Company, Arthur G. Rosen

Ross Bleckner's paintings question earlier abstractionists' claims that they could communicate subliminal and even mystical truths through nonrepresentational art. Bleckner's work refers to the nature of contemporary life. At the same time, the evocative images and titles of his paintings evoke a mood of otherworldliness. Best known for paintings that resemble 1960s-style abstractions composed of lines or patterns of polka dots, Bleckner lulls his viewers into imagining that they are looking at one of those familiar styles of abstraction. However, the observer soon realizes that the patterns contain a referential component, one often concerned with the scourge of AIDS. Gold Count No Count's title and its glowing, circular forms may refer to t-cells, important indicators of health in HIV-infected persons.