ambiguous abstraction

suggestion

"Irrational ideas should be followed absolutely and logically."
--Sol Lewitt

shadow of doubt

ditch

taking a second look

A multi-layered collage, stripped and peeled, a palette of every colour in the box, apply, scrape, fling, drip, attack the canvas.

That was last summer.

This summer we do it all over again.

This canvas (still a riot of colour and expression) hangs on my wall.

Ad Reinhardt

More words from Ad Reinhardt, more inspiration while I open the jars of carbon, mars, and bone black...


         no antiques or angels

no traditional authorities or academies
no classical idealism or romantic exoticism
no fantasies
no world beyound our world

no myths or messages
no actions or imitations
no orgies
no pains
no dreams
no stories
no disorders

no subjects or objects
no fixities or absolutes
no chiaroscuro or plasticities
no textures or composition
no timelesness
no terror
no studio setups
no imaginary scenes
no muddy colors

no pictures or puzzles
no closed or natural forms
no fixed arrangements
no irratinonalism
no unconsciousness

no particularities or local elements
no irregularities or accidents or irrelevancies
no oppression of time or subjectivity
no primitivism
no expressionism

no particularities or local elements
no irregularities or accidents or irrelevancies
no oppression of time or subjectivity
no primitivism
no expressionism
no fooling-the-eye
no window-hole-in-the-wall
no illusions
no representations
no associations
no distortions
no paint-caricaturings
no cream pictures or drippings
no delirium trimmings
no sadism or slashings
no therapy
no kicking-the-effigy
no clowning
no acrobatics
no heroics
no self-pity
no guilt
no anguish
no supernaturalism or subhumanism
no divine inspiration or daily perspiration
no personality-picturesqueness
no romantic bait
no gallery gimmicks
no neo-religious or neo-architectural hocus pocus
no poetry or drama or theater
no entertainment business
no vested interests
no Sunday hobby
no drug-store museums
no free-for-all history
no art hisory in America of ashcan-regional-WPA-Pepsi-Cola styles
no professionalism
no equity
no cultural enterprises
no bargain-art commodity
no juries
no contests
no masterpieces
no prizes
no mannerism or techniques
no communication or information
no magic tools
no bag of tricks-of-the-trade
no structure
no paint qualities
no impasto
no plasticity
no relationships
no experiments
no rules
no coercion
no anarchy
no anti-intellectualism
no irresponsibility
no innocence
no irrationalism
no low level of conciousness
no nature-mending
no reality-reducing
no life-mirroring
no abstracting from anything
no nonsense
no involvements
no confusing painting with everything that is not painting

no lines or imaginings
no shapes or composings or representings
no visions or sensations or impulses
no symbols or signs or impastos
no decoratings or colorings or picturings
no pleasures or pains
no accidents or ready-mades
no things
no ideas
no relations
no attributes
no qualities-nothing that is not of the essence
no art as a comodity or a jobbery

no paint-caricaturings, no scumble-bumpkinism
no personality-picturesqueness, no texturing-gesturings,
no dadaism, no popism, no duchampism, no romanticist-
tricks-of-the-art-trade, no pop, no poop, no pope, no corn,
no brushwork-bravura, no janisism, no jobberies,
no qualities, no professional racketeering, marketeering,
no action-arena-canvas and careerism,
no nature-mending, reality-reducing, life-inspiring,
society-reflecting, universe insighting, zeit-geisting,
no good-timing and fun-thinging.

…
Emanation from the one without any lessening for it is not a material mass,
no longer bothered by body

Nor forms, figures, parts, adornments, body, quality, quantity, mass
Not in space, not visible, not to be felt, not lightless
Neither non-being or being, not dark, not light
Not affirmable, not deniable

…
Nonsenuous, formless, shapeless, colorless, soundless, odorless
No sounds, sights, sensing, sensations            No intensity
No images, mental copies of sensations, imagings, imaginings
No concepts, thinking, ideas, meaning, content.

Uit: ‘Art as Art, The Selected Writings of Ad Reinhardt’, Edited by: Barbara Rose, 1975

painting black

It has been six weeks of painting black. I found these quotes of Ad Reinhardt's at www.endlesslowland.nl .  The author had first hand experience with Reinhardt's paintings at the the Joseph Albers Museum in 2010.  There is something about black that needs to be "experienced".