Jammed packed with cells in various stages of development, Teo Gonzalez’s minimalist paintings are something of an obsessive pursuit. Fortunately for Gonzalez, his meticulous efforts have recently been rewarded by his work being acquired by major museums on both coasts (MoMA, LACMA and NGA). D.C. art enthusiasts have until Saturday to catch Gonzalez’s current solo show at Irvine Contemporary Art in Dupont Circle and see for themselves what all the fuss is about.

Gonzalez’s paintings are testaments to the power of Minimalism. Each work is done on a simple, yet powerful square canvas. He makes use of mostly monochromatic color schemes such as white, red, blue and black. On top of these rich hues Gonzalez paints hundreds or potentially thousands of individual black cells (sometimes other colors as well) aligned roughly into a grid. Each cell is unique although they are all composed of a membrane and a nucleus.

Really, that’s all there is to it ... at least from a descriptive standpoint. Anything else is superfluous. Gonzalez’s work becomes a bit more interesting when one considers the optical and emotional impact of the work.

The wavy alignment of the cellular grid and the individuality of the cells result in a perception of depth that transforms a two-dimensional painting -- monochromatic at that -- into an almost three-dimensional sculptural piece. The purposely sparse installation functions to isolate the individual experiences each work holds. Without peripheral distractions a viewer can become absorbed in the simplicity of the landscape and see waves in the grid. The feeling quickly comes that some of the cells are closer to you while others are recessed. It’s a subtle illusion that continues the minimalist tradition of the grid that Agnes Martin mastered. While Gonzalez is clearly more in-your-face with his color schemes and references to science, in our eyes, he falls far short of the accomplishments those before him achieved.

And that is fine. Gonzalez’s colors will lift you (our particular favorite was the small red piece near the gallery desk that had us seeing red for a good 20 minutes after we left the show) and the obsessive nature of the work will cause you to admire the artist’s dedication to his craft. But is the work any more than cool decoration? Does it ever become more than patterns, grids and colors? Is the reference to science strong enough? Does the work ever truly create an environment in which a viewer can become lost or be taken to a spiritual place?

If you have ever stood in front of a masterful Agnes Martin the answer is clear: Gonzalez’s work just doesn’t measure up. But then again, whose does? A more apt comparison may very well be with the work of local artist Linn Meyers. Even then, we’ll take the illusion of depth and the obsessive nature of Meyers’ work over Gonzalez’s.

Don’t get us wrong, when visiting Irvine Contemporary there is almost always a Gonzalez piece on display in the backroom and it often is our favorite. But now that the MoMA, LACMA and NGA, have elevated Gonzalez’s work to a new level, we must evaluate him in comparison to an elite crowd. It’s likely a tough road ahead for him, but he has plenty of time to transform us into believers. We’ll have to wait and see what’s next.