2010-05-24

Five Works

Detail, Jackson Pollock, Greyed Rainbow; Art Institute of Chicago

Detail, Jasper Johns, Corpse and Mirror II; Art Institute of Chicago

Installation, Mark Rothko, Untitled (Purple, White, and Red), 1953, Art Institute of Chicago

Installation, On Kawara, Oct. 31, 1978, Today Series, "Tuesday", Art Institute of Chicago

Installation, Brice Marden, Rodeo, Art Institute of Chicago

A selection of some of my favourite works from ARTIC's Modern wing. Quite reasonably - but unlike the AGO and National Gallery in Ottawa - they allow their supportive public to photograph the works in their permanent collection.

Jackson Pollock, of course, is hugely famous; Jasper Johns, frequently portrayed as Pollock's counterpoint, is much less so. The Mark Rothko painting on display - no longer listed as such, presumably joining the gallery's others in storage - was one of the big reasons why I picked Chicago for a field trip. On Kanawa's date series wasn't something I knew of ahead of time, although the exquisitely precise but ultimately meaningless freehand painting is exactly the sort of thing that I like. And finally, the boldness and solidity of Brice Marden's 'Rodeo' really appealed to me; it almost felt like a cross between Rothko and Newman, which is a good thing.

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