Discussion
KENNETH NOLAND ISN'T USING TAPE.
I made an urgent trip to the Harvard Art Museums today because of reasons.
One of the reasons was this painting.
Noland created "Verve" for the 1964 Venice Biennale. I saw another of his works at the Rose recently, and have been making watercolor sketches of them - and ended up thinking, "Man, painter's tape does all the work around here!"
I got closer to this painting and realized...HE GOT THIS LEVEL OF PRECISION BY HAND. 😱 1/x #art
@R_3_T_3_C_H True. Just harder to get these kinds of effects!
@lisawilliams Practice. Car detailers, sign painters, door/glass painters, The freehand brush work they achieve with practice is so sublime it's on the order of mechanical.
@R_3_T_3_C_H I love watching videos of folks doing that kind of work. Sublime is the right word for it!
Even more spectacular, I learned that after meeting Helen Frankenthaler, he began to adopt one of her core practices: using paint to "stain" raw canvas.
I mean, this thing has the kind of precision that makes you think it rolled off the floor at an aerospace company, but he's not only NOT using tape, but also STAINING the canvas by letting paint go through it? HOW?!
Magical powers, clearly the only answer ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2/x
Another magical aspect of viewing this painting: It was unlikely I'd ever get to see it.
It was considered "unexhibitable" for decades, in part because of how it was made. This painting is on raw canvas -- the "white" portions are just unpainted canvas. But canvas yellows, picks up stains.
So the restorers at the Harvard Art Museums took a high-stakes gamble on a restoration process. They even did it outdoors, in public, where people could watch the process. #art https://youtu.be/ilce1SzfLWw
BUMPS! I tell you!
@lisawilliams A string or ruler would be great options for him.