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Lot Essay
"The vocabulary of shape and line Robert Mangold was elaborating in the paintings of the 1970s made spatial discernment a subtle, engrossing perceptual exercise that is distinctively his own" (N. Princethal, Robert Mangold, London, 2000, pp. 204-207).
Deeply affected by the Abstract Expressionists, Robert Mangold began to work with the possibility of painting creating a sense of architectural space, structural presence and geometric relation. He sought to express himself in a manner, which emphasized abstraction, coolness and materiality. As part of the Minimalists movement in the 1960's he focused on the reduction of form and the essential nature of the materials. However, unlike fellow Minimalists Brice Marden or Robert Ryman, Mangold was also interested in the perceptual reception of the most elemental geometrical shapes: the circle, triangle and square by complex combination of color, line and shape.
One and One Quarter Circle Within A Square is a clear expression of Mangold's grappling with the painting as a structural material presence along with their relationship to geometric shapes. The rich burgundy of the oil paint covering the panel almost swallows the gray line of the circle, yet the curved slash of black alerts the viewer of the presence of geometric shapes in the red abyss. The grey circle is precisely placed within the square of the panel creating a hyper awareness of the square shape of the painting in space, which calls into question what is merely the surface of the painting, and what is the painting in space.
"Mangold is not only questioning the way we see but gracefully manipulating form to new ends by making his open frames both image and field, at least by implication, he has remained consistent in his adherence to the all-over image. But in this manipulation, he has proven that his approach is eminently flexible, and singularly open-ended. They are paintings of spaces and silences" (D. Waldman, Robert Mangold, exh. cat., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1971, n.p.).
Deeply affected by the Abstract Expressionists, Robert Mangold began to work with the possibility of painting creating a sense of architectural space, structural presence and geometric relation. He sought to express himself in a manner, which emphasized abstraction, coolness and materiality. As part of the Minimalists movement in the 1960's he focused on the reduction of form and the essential nature of the materials. However, unlike fellow Minimalists Brice Marden or Robert Ryman, Mangold was also interested in the perceptual reception of the most elemental geometrical shapes: the circle, triangle and square by complex combination of color, line and shape.
One and One Quarter Circle Within A Square is a clear expression of Mangold's grappling with the painting as a structural material presence along with their relationship to geometric shapes. The rich burgundy of the oil paint covering the panel almost swallows the gray line of the circle, yet the curved slash of black alerts the viewer of the presence of geometric shapes in the red abyss. The grey circle is precisely placed within the square of the panel creating a hyper awareness of the square shape of the painting in space, which calls into question what is merely the surface of the painting, and what is the painting in space.
"Mangold is not only questioning the way we see but gracefully manipulating form to new ends by making his open frames both image and field, at least by implication, he has remained consistent in his adherence to the all-over image. But in this manipulation, he has proven that his approach is eminently flexible, and singularly open-ended. They are paintings of spaces and silences" (D. Waldman, Robert Mangold, exh. cat., Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1971, n.p.).