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It's the rare artist who tackles the subject of love.

Beauty, yes. It's easy to behold. But love is emotional. It's messy.

So Lilly Fenichel's series "Just You Just Me" is all the more amazing.

Add to that that the paintings are abstract, and you have a rare experience in art.

Fenichel's 12 works - which begin a showing tonight at Artspace116 Downtown - tell the story of a man and a woman whose bodies meet in a swirl of color on raw canvas.

The colors are soft, but the content is exuberant and erotic. Body parts entwine in the center of a fleshy circle. Seams in the exterior lead the viewer in, to a mingling of hearts, muscles, guts and more. The longer you look, the more you see.

Leaving the circle, Fenichel surprises again with an even more powerful image of sensuality.

The lovers aren't just physically connected. Fenichel imbues an emotional bond. It's an incredible accomplishment.

Her palette is perfect. Reds, pinks, flesh tones with the occasional graphic splash of black, yellow or orange. These are the colors of the human body, the colors linked to the heart.

Fenichel uses an acrylic stain so the paint fuses to and shimmers on the canvas, its raw state complimenting the soft tones.

Even the paintings' titles, all jazz standards, add to the sexy tone: "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do," "The Way You Look Tonight, "You Made Me Love You," "I'll be Seeing You."

People might compare this work to Georgia O'Keeffe's erotic paintings, but there's really no comparison. O'Keeffe's work was contrived from images of flowers. Fenichel offers the real thing, more complex and with greater emotional impact.

Fenichel says the paintings were inspired by a love affair, and it's power and beauty are there to experience.

This is as brave and honest a show as I've ever seen. When she should be resting on her laurels, Fenichel has broken new ground. Known for her nature-inspired paintings, this is human nature, and Fenichel nails it.

You'll be startled, no doubt. But don't back away. This is a consummate artist at the top of her game.