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Lot Essay
Untitled (DSS18) is from a seminal period of discovery in the artist's oeuvre. His works between 1961-1962 are arguably Judd's first singular pieces, in which he experimented and developed the "minimalist" concerns that would occupy his entire career.
Using a wood panel allowed the artist to incise into the surface with a router to create the rounded chevron form. As a result, Untitled (DSS18) becomes a wall relief, bringing the work into the realm of sculpture. The work's dimensional quality is heightened by the use of sand in the liquitex, giving the surface an all-over mottled look and texture.
Judd was well-versed in art history and began writing art criticism. He wrote first for Art News and then for Arts between 1959-1965, publishing important articles on John Wesley, Lee Bontecou, John Chamberlain and others. The critical aspect of writing forced the artist to hone his thoughts and concisely express what is valid and why.
Judd's move into his new studio at 53 East 19th Street in August of 1960 marks the beginning of the new direction of his work. Previously, the artist was unable to overcome the weight of the influence of Cézanne and Cubism--Judd was now able to synthesize a number of sources, most importantly Barnett Newman and Yves Klein and begin creating works that are uniquely his own. The use of the color field, punctured with a single line came from Barnett Newman, as well as that artist's palette of primary colors, particularly his use of "near cadmium red medium". Judd's use of the expressive, encrusted surface, creating a rough, all-over pattern is derived from Klein's monochrome fields of blue. Finally, Lee Bontecou and Claes Oldenburg's sculptural reliefs of the late 1950s would have showed Judd the power of wall sculpture in high relief.
Appreciation for Donald Judd has grown exponentially in the last five years, culminating with the current traveling retrospective and the opening of DIA: Beacon, a new museum in upstate New York devoted to Minimalism. His early works from 1955-1968 were the subject of its own traveling exhibition in 2002-2003 and rare wall reliefs/paintings from 1961-1962 such as Untitled (DSS18) are now being seen as critical works in their own right.
Using a wood panel allowed the artist to incise into the surface with a router to create the rounded chevron form. As a result, Untitled (DSS18) becomes a wall relief, bringing the work into the realm of sculpture. The work's dimensional quality is heightened by the use of sand in the liquitex, giving the surface an all-over mottled look and texture.
Judd was well-versed in art history and began writing art criticism. He wrote first for Art News and then for Arts between 1959-1965, publishing important articles on John Wesley, Lee Bontecou, John Chamberlain and others. The critical aspect of writing forced the artist to hone his thoughts and concisely express what is valid and why.
Judd's move into his new studio at 53 East 19th Street in August of 1960 marks the beginning of the new direction of his work. Previously, the artist was unable to overcome the weight of the influence of Cézanne and Cubism--Judd was now able to synthesize a number of sources, most importantly Barnett Newman and Yves Klein and begin creating works that are uniquely his own. The use of the color field, punctured with a single line came from Barnett Newman, as well as that artist's palette of primary colors, particularly his use of "near cadmium red medium". Judd's use of the expressive, encrusted surface, creating a rough, all-over pattern is derived from Klein's monochrome fields of blue. Finally, Lee Bontecou and Claes Oldenburg's sculptural reliefs of the late 1950s would have showed Judd the power of wall sculpture in high relief.
Appreciation for Donald Judd has grown exponentially in the last five years, culminating with the current traveling retrospective and the opening of DIA: Beacon, a new museum in upstate New York devoted to Minimalism. His early works from 1955-1968 were the subject of its own traveling exhibition in 2002-2003 and rare wall reliefs/paintings from 1961-1962 such as Untitled (DSS18) are now being seen as critical works in their own right.