Minimalism, Post-Painterly Abstraction, and Continuing Legacies

U1976.1.6

Sharon Gold (American, b. 1949)

Number 10, 1978

Oil on canvas

60" H x 38" W

Gift of Sydney and Frances Lewis, U1976.1.6

Sharon Gold is a painter and performance artist who earned her BFA from Pratt in 1976. Number 10 belongs to a series of dark monochromatic paintings that Gold created in the 1970s. Bold colors such as yellow, blue, green, and red break through smudged and scratched lines, which the artist distributed chaotically on the surface of her artwork. Gold achieved the effect of a scraped canvas by applying the final black layer of the pigment with an industrial putty knife, which helped the artist create articulated strokes that reflect the flow of her hand.

Inspired by works of such iconic painters as Piet Mondrian and Adolph Reinhardt, Gold minimized the use of compositional elements, prioritizing the medium over the subject matter. The artist believed that such an approach could enhance the viewer’s intuitive perception of the internal complexity of her paintings.

– Kasiet Toktomusheva, ‘17

NOTE / PAH: Because of the current restrictions caused by COVID-19, the photograph attached here is not current and is taken from a 20 year old installation snapshot. It will be replaced once we are able to reshoot the painting. In the meantime, other examples of Gold's monochromatic works can be viewed on her website, where she explains her work:

My earlier works are based on systems closely associated with Structuralism reflecting my interests in Phenomenology and Existentialism. The paintings are meticulously planned and executed in layers of paint that are evidenced at the edges of the painting as peaks of color (underpainting) emerging through the flatness and density of the surfaces. The individual layers and colors can be read in the edges: these layers of paint are fragile, eccentric and human, if you will, when seen in juxtaposition with the emphatic flatness and rigidity of the surface. Metaphorically, I suppose, one might say they reflect the purity of ideas and the existence of interiority within the corporeality of the material body. [1974-1978]. See: http://www.sharongoldart.com/final/artwork.html

 

U1977.2.1

Dan Yellow Kuhne (American, b. 1945)

Doric, 1972

Acrylic on canvas

74” H x 87” W

Dr. Jacob Joseph and Bernice Fox Weinstein Collection, gift in memory of Jacob J. Weinstein, M.d., F.A.C.S. from Bernice, Lisa, and Michael Weinstein, U1977.2.1

U1977.2.6

Dan Yellow Kuhne (American, b. 1945)

Untitled I, 1973

Watercolor on paper

24 1/2" H x 32 1/4 " W

Dr. Jacob Joseph and Bernice Fox Weinstein Collection, gift in memory of Jacob J. Weinstein, M.d., F.A.C.S. from Bernice, Lisa, and Michael Weinstein, U1977.2.6

U1977.2.5

Dan Yellow Kuhne (American, b. 1945)

Untitled II, 1973

Watercolor on paper

24 1/2" H x 32 1/4 " W

Dr. Jacob Joseph and Bernice Fox Weinstein Collection, gift in memory of Jacob J. Weinstein, M.d., F.A.C.S. from Bernice, Lisa, and Michael Weinstein, U1977.2.5

Dan Yellow Kuhne’s artworks are often described in relation to Morris Louis’ paintings of streaking color veils. Like Louis, Kuhne is associated with the Washington Color School and attempted to elicit emotional responses through the use of color. He squeezed drops of acrylic or watercolor onto canvas or paper in linear arrangements and then proceeded to bleed the colors together by washing the pigments down with water or a type of paint thinner. As the title suggests, Doric shows lines of color arranged in a manner that makes the work reminiscent of Doric column capitals. His work is lauded for its presence of energy and motion.

  • Chase Leeby, '18

In 1973, Dan Yellow Kuhne created Untitled I as part of his “Dog Eared” series, which introduced Kuhne’s style of abstracted watercolor. This series, completed between 1970 and 1974, included approximately 45 canvases and 200 paper pieces. Kuhne manuipulated paint on canvas and paper, examining the paint’s structural and behavioral characteristics. In a 2012 interview with Kulturbite Kuhne stated that these pieces, although abstract, “took on a highly suggestive effect: mesas, WWI airplanes, fountains, valleys.” (https://kulturebite.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/the-dog-eared-paintings-of-dan-yellow-kuhne-2/) He drew inspiration from Morris Louis and Gene Davis, under whom Kuhne studied, and who both were among the original six artists called The Washington Color School.

When creating Untitled I, Kuhne wetted paper, spread beads of watercolor paint, then irrigated and eroded the paints with water or washes. This process created a variation of diluted and concentrated paints with blurred and pronounced lines. Kuhne relied on color and imagery to construct his composition.

– Helen Clay, '17

Several of Kuhne’s “Dog Eared” series, paintings of symmetrical reflections of swaths of color lik Untitled II, were featured in a 1973 show of works on paper at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. In this series, Kuhne exploited the characteristics of watercolor paint to create fluid shadows of the more solid geometric lines. The bold, primary colors in the spare composition also enhanced the expansive negative space. We are left with a sense of spaciousness, possiility, and motion.

– Isabelle McAlevey, '17

2015.18.1

Mr. Brainwash (MBW) [Thierry Guetta], (French, b. 1966)

Tomato Spray Can, 2014

Stencil and Acrylic on Plywood and Plastic

80” x 25 ½” x 25 ½”

Gift of Nancy and John Poynor ’62, 2015.18.1

French-born, LA-based artist Thierry Guetta has documented graffiti street artists, including Banksy. Using the moniker “Mr. Brainwash” or MBW, his own art includes film, sculpture and screenprints that pay homage to street artists and the medium for which they are known – the paint spray can. His subject matter includes icons in the entertainment and art world, including Warhol’s Campbell Soup Cans. In his work Tomato Spray Can, MBW appropriated Warhol’s print, itself an appropriation of a commercial soup label, and wraps an oversized spray can with it, replacing the word “SOUP” with “SPRAY.”

Mr. Brainwash's (MBW's) Tomato Spray Can is prominently featured in the 2010 street art documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop. This sculpture is one of an unspecified edition produced in 2014 created by the artist for the spring 2015 Frieze Art Fair in Miami, Florida.

There have been many theories surrounding the legitimacy of Exit Through the Gift Shop and the story of MBW. The film follows the journey of Theirry Guetta as he explores the blossoming world of street art and eventually becomes a street artist himself, taking the name MBW. At a point in the film Guetta meets Banksy, a world renowned street artist, and the two develop what appears to be a fairly close relationship. However, due to the extremely consumeristic attitude shown by MBW over his career, some have theorized that MBW is merely an elaborate ruse by Banksy and artist Shepard Fairey (who also appears in the film) as a way of commenting on the commercialization of their art. Others have speculated that MBW may even be Banksy himself.

  • Ryan Brink, ‘18
Minimalism, Post-Painterly Abstraction, and Continuing Legacies