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Lot Essay
“For Stingel, painting is not just representational – it’s always related to materiality, and physical change within a temporal space. Stingel’s paintings rely on and point to an expanded meaning of time.” (G. Carrion-Murayari, Rudolf Stingel at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, exh. cat., Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2008, p. 111)
With its sublime abstract surface and groundbreaking means of conception, Untitled by Rudolf Stingel is a sweeping, poetic work from an artist who has challenged artistic convention, reinventing the medium of painting itself. Painted with expressive and intricate brushstrokes, Untitled is a rich silver expanse, adorned with series of elongated marks tracking across the surface like geological strata enveloped in a haze of evocative grey. These marks are both calligraphic and organic in nature, as they trace outward, breaking off from one another and intertwining in rhythmic patterns. The marks also resemble trees, rivers and perhaps the subject matter of beautifully intricate Paleolithic cave paintings–echoes of an art form dating back to the beginning of human history, but in Stingel’s work, remain profoundly avant-garde.
Untitled is a striking example of Stingel’s abstract paintings, works that offer a variety of textures, media and hues, all vastly different from the gestural manifestations of the origins of Abstract Expressionism. This subtle distinction is characteristic of Stingel’s body of work, which has confronted and challenged critics for decades. His choice of materials is often surprising, ranging from the orthodox to the unorthodox, and blending harmonious elements of old and new.
Deeply interested in the seductive, tactile quality of painting, Stingel’s applicative process imbues the surface with deceptive complexity, with a topographical display of ridges and valleys that cover the canvas. The painterly facade of Untitled offers pure and immediate visual delectation, its delicately encrusted silver pigment shimmering with a range of ineffable effects. Through a veil of silver that varies in its effect from a hazy mist to a rumpled satin, various tones shimmers subtly under the surface. Yet Stingel uses this aesthetic gratification as a lure, only to ensnare the viewer in what is actually a conceptually rooted construction. Moving away from the traditional divide between abstraction and figuration, Stingel’s approach reveals his fundamental questioning of the institution of painting today–authenticity, hierarchy, individuality, and meaning. His ultimate goal is to demystify the artistic process, the artist, and finally, the art object. In this process of the ‘stripping the aura’ off the art object, Stingel manages to create astoundingly beautiful art objects. Stingel presents a fascinating dichotomy between the characteristics inherent in the process itself and the imprint that is left indelibly on the canvas.
Stingel was influenced greatly by both Neo-Expressionism and Minimalism, but distanced himself from both movements, while simultaneously being firmly entrenched in their ethos. His canvases also harken back to the methods and visual aesthetics employed by the Abstract Expressionists; they also confront the notion of the Abstract Expressionist painter, as the individual who conceives of these ideas through pure force of will. Stingel mocks this notion throughout his work, and often renders the figure of the “artist” as obsolete, challenging not only the widespread cultural perception of painting, but the act of creation itself. Indeed, Stingel’s installations and paintings are often represented in decadent metallic, creating an ornate and striking environment that becomes synonymous with tradition and formality. Stingel creates not only paintings and collaborative environments, but a unique pan-artistic experience where different methods of creation can be explored by many.
In addition to confronting these aspects of artistic convention, Stingel’s art encourages viewers to question how the surface of the artwork is acted upon, through painting, carving into the surface or otherwise leaving marks in a variety of applications: “For Stingel, painting is not just representational–it’s always related to materiality, and physical change within a temporal space. Stingel’s paintings rely on and point to an expanded meaning of time.” (G. Carrion-Murayari, Rudolf Stingel at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, exh. cat., Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2008, p. 111). In his installations, the surface has hosted many actions, such as being stepped on, or sprinkled with dirt. In this context, the canvas becomes more than merely a flat template that the artist works upon, instead becoming a three dimensional space, harboring infinite visual results. Through the act of participation, this multifaceted surface can grant anyone artistic ownership, as several ideas and methods begin to coexist. The painting becomes more than an object produced by the archetypal artist, but an action–a collaborative exercise that includes an entire community producing art, much like the art of the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.
For decades, Rudolf Stingel has proved himself to be one of the most compelling and rebellious artists of the 21st century–a multitalented artist who is responsible for creating striking abstract works, and serving as a discursive catalyst through his collaborative projects that challenge all conventional practices. Rudolf Stingel’s Untitled is emblematic of a body of work that is both groundbreaking and visually breathtaking.
With its sublime abstract surface and groundbreaking means of conception, Untitled by Rudolf Stingel is a sweeping, poetic work from an artist who has challenged artistic convention, reinventing the medium of painting itself. Painted with expressive and intricate brushstrokes, Untitled is a rich silver expanse, adorned with series of elongated marks tracking across the surface like geological strata enveloped in a haze of evocative grey. These marks are both calligraphic and organic in nature, as they trace outward, breaking off from one another and intertwining in rhythmic patterns. The marks also resemble trees, rivers and perhaps the subject matter of beautifully intricate Paleolithic cave paintings–echoes of an art form dating back to the beginning of human history, but in Stingel’s work, remain profoundly avant-garde.
Untitled is a striking example of Stingel’s abstract paintings, works that offer a variety of textures, media and hues, all vastly different from the gestural manifestations of the origins of Abstract Expressionism. This subtle distinction is characteristic of Stingel’s body of work, which has confronted and challenged critics for decades. His choice of materials is often surprising, ranging from the orthodox to the unorthodox, and blending harmonious elements of old and new.
Deeply interested in the seductive, tactile quality of painting, Stingel’s applicative process imbues the surface with deceptive complexity, with a topographical display of ridges and valleys that cover the canvas. The painterly facade of Untitled offers pure and immediate visual delectation, its delicately encrusted silver pigment shimmering with a range of ineffable effects. Through a veil of silver that varies in its effect from a hazy mist to a rumpled satin, various tones shimmers subtly under the surface. Yet Stingel uses this aesthetic gratification as a lure, only to ensnare the viewer in what is actually a conceptually rooted construction. Moving away from the traditional divide between abstraction and figuration, Stingel’s approach reveals his fundamental questioning of the institution of painting today–authenticity, hierarchy, individuality, and meaning. His ultimate goal is to demystify the artistic process, the artist, and finally, the art object. In this process of the ‘stripping the aura’ off the art object, Stingel manages to create astoundingly beautiful art objects. Stingel presents a fascinating dichotomy between the characteristics inherent in the process itself and the imprint that is left indelibly on the canvas.
Stingel was influenced greatly by both Neo-Expressionism and Minimalism, but distanced himself from both movements, while simultaneously being firmly entrenched in their ethos. His canvases also harken back to the methods and visual aesthetics employed by the Abstract Expressionists; they also confront the notion of the Abstract Expressionist painter, as the individual who conceives of these ideas through pure force of will. Stingel mocks this notion throughout his work, and often renders the figure of the “artist” as obsolete, challenging not only the widespread cultural perception of painting, but the act of creation itself. Indeed, Stingel’s installations and paintings are often represented in decadent metallic, creating an ornate and striking environment that becomes synonymous with tradition and formality. Stingel creates not only paintings and collaborative environments, but a unique pan-artistic experience where different methods of creation can be explored by many.
In addition to confronting these aspects of artistic convention, Stingel’s art encourages viewers to question how the surface of the artwork is acted upon, through painting, carving into the surface or otherwise leaving marks in a variety of applications: “For Stingel, painting is not just representational–it’s always related to materiality, and physical change within a temporal space. Stingel’s paintings rely on and point to an expanded meaning of time.” (G. Carrion-Murayari, Rudolf Stingel at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, exh. cat., Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 2008, p. 111). In his installations, the surface has hosted many actions, such as being stepped on, or sprinkled with dirt. In this context, the canvas becomes more than merely a flat template that the artist works upon, instead becoming a three dimensional space, harboring infinite visual results. Through the act of participation, this multifaceted surface can grant anyone artistic ownership, as several ideas and methods begin to coexist. The painting becomes more than an object produced by the archetypal artist, but an action–a collaborative exercise that includes an entire community producing art, much like the art of the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.
For decades, Rudolf Stingel has proved himself to be one of the most compelling and rebellious artists of the 21st century–a multitalented artist who is responsible for creating striking abstract works, and serving as a discursive catalyst through his collaborative projects that challenge all conventional practices. Rudolf Stingel’s Untitled is emblematic of a body of work that is both groundbreaking and visually breathtaking.