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Robert Ryman: Works On Paper
1957 - 1964 at the Peter Blum Gallery, 99
Wooster Street to September 25th
To view a film clip of the exhibition click here.
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Robert Ryman is perhaps best known for having emptied everything out of painting to arrive at an absolute state of white. The very mention of his name conjures up the dualities of Minimalism and Conceptualism. But how did he arrive there? This show provides a large part of the answer in presenting Ryman�s drawings from 1957 to 1964. In an odd way this show compares to a Rothko exhibition that was held at the Pace Gallery on 57th street in the late 80s. That show provided a window into Rothko�s seminal work just prior to his color field paintings. This exhibition of Ryman�s drawings from the late 50s and early 60s offer the same sort of experience. |
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Start with the facts. Ryman was originally a jazz musician; a composer for the saxophone who moved to New York in 1952. At that time he was first exposed to contemporary painting and, after picking up some basic art supplies, began his own �experiments�. By 1954 he gave up music to devote himself to making visual art and in 1957 made the self-determination that he was beyond �experiments� and on to something more |
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Robert Ryman, Untitled (58.003), 1958, casein, graphite on newsprint paper mounted on board, 12 x 12 in |
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Robert Ryman, Untitled (58.0721), 1958, charcoal, graphite pencil, casein on newsprint, 12.5 x 12 in |
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substantial; hence the entry point for this show. As is apparent with this work he had a great interest in experimenting with a wide variety of non-traditional materials, approaches and techniques. At the same time you see an evolution from loose gestural painting to a more disciplined approach that includes the grid. But even with these latter pieces there a measure of intuitiveness at play which is never completely abandoned in this work. What is remarkable in the later work is how well it ties into his early interest in music. It�s as though he were working the same territory as jazz only within a visual context. |
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Given who Ryman eventually became as an artist, two pieces in this show particularly stand out: Untitled (58.0721) and Untitled (58.003). The former suggests Clifford Still with perhaps a touch of Raushenberg (for the playful inclusion of Ryman�s last name) and despite its actual dimensions it would be easy to imagine this as an 8 x 8 foot painting. There is a commanding authority of self-confidence in the choice and placement of the forms along with colors. The second piece is interesting for its expressive stark contrast and simple placement of forms that also projects a reductive sensibility. This piece bears an oblique relationship to the work of another Robert: Motherwell. It is clear from the example of |
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