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Lot Essay
Christopher Wool’s Untitled is a commanding and significant work that exemplifies the artist's mastery of abstraction. First presented at the 54th Venice Biennale, the monumental painting is characterized by a field of deep, inky black that progressively fades into earthy hues. Dynamic, static-like lines traverse the canvas, dividing the surface into quadrants. The deep black pigment gives the biomorphic patterns a tangible sense of presence as two cellular-like shapes on the upper and lower left side seem to be dividing, suggesting an organic process of development and change.
Untitled was created through a highly complex and multidimensional process that seamlessly blends digital manipulation with traditional artistic techniques. Wool began by photographing a selection of small old drawings, magnifying them to an enormous scale. This enlargement revealed intricate details, which were then reduced to individual, painstakingly rendered dots. These dots were transferred onto a linen canvas through a meticulous silkscreen printing process. Once the initial impression was complete, the surface of the canvas was carefully painted over, which resulted in subtly altering the texture and form of the original image. The work was then photographed once again, and this time, Photoshop was employed to apply a series of intricate digital modifications and enhancements. The resulting artwork is the product of this fusion of old and new methods, creating a sense of depth and complexity that is both captivating and enigmatic. The layered nature of this process, with its multiple stages of transformation, lends the painting a unique, mysterious allure, as it becomes increasingly difficult to trace the exact steps of Wool’s creative journey. The combination of these contrasting techniques not only adds richness to the final composition, but also invites viewers to consider the boundaries between the physical and the digital in the realm of contemporary art.
While Wool first rose to fame with his text paintings from the late 1980s, Untitled highlights the artist’s deep interest in pure abstraction. By the early 2000s, Wool had started to create his renowned "Grey Paintings," which are distinguished by their vast, monochromatic fields. His early work in abstraction experimented with floral motifs and vivid hues. This approach subsequently underwent a significant transformation resulting in the series of large-scale paintings of which the present work is a part, debuting at the 2011 Venice Biennale. Distinguished by their dense texture, physicality, and intricacy, combined with the compositions’ biomorphic elements, these paintings convey an almost dreamy quality, encouraging reflection as they appear to be pulsing with life.
Wool's consistent investigation of abstraction is memorialized in the present work, which offers a distinctive blend of conventional artistic methods and modern technical advancements. While the segmented divisions and organic shapes give the work a sense of movement and alteration, the stark black tones and rudimentary surface conjure up a raw, industrial sensibility. The painting’s fragmented and unexpected composition demonstrates the strength of Wool’s abstract visual lexicon, expertly balancing harmony and tension.
After the series was unveiled at the 54th Venice Biennale, Mark Godfrey recognized the significance of these works in the context of Wool’s oeuvre, noting that “Wool’s new paintings push the artist’s long consideration of abstraction, shape, and gesture to a different plane” (M. Godfrey, “CLOSE-UP:,” Artforum, 2011). Wool’s remarkable ability to push the limits of abstract painting while staying at the forefront of modern artistic practice is demonstrated in Untitled. A pivotal painting in Wool's career, Untitled is a testament to the artist’s enormous impact on the development of modern art with its dominating scale, complex process, and powerfully potent aesthetic.
Untitled was created through a highly complex and multidimensional process that seamlessly blends digital manipulation with traditional artistic techniques. Wool began by photographing a selection of small old drawings, magnifying them to an enormous scale. This enlargement revealed intricate details, which were then reduced to individual, painstakingly rendered dots. These dots were transferred onto a linen canvas through a meticulous silkscreen printing process. Once the initial impression was complete, the surface of the canvas was carefully painted over, which resulted in subtly altering the texture and form of the original image. The work was then photographed once again, and this time, Photoshop was employed to apply a series of intricate digital modifications and enhancements. The resulting artwork is the product of this fusion of old and new methods, creating a sense of depth and complexity that is both captivating and enigmatic. The layered nature of this process, with its multiple stages of transformation, lends the painting a unique, mysterious allure, as it becomes increasingly difficult to trace the exact steps of Wool’s creative journey. The combination of these contrasting techniques not only adds richness to the final composition, but also invites viewers to consider the boundaries between the physical and the digital in the realm of contemporary art.
While Wool first rose to fame with his text paintings from the late 1980s, Untitled highlights the artist’s deep interest in pure abstraction. By the early 2000s, Wool had started to create his renowned "Grey Paintings," which are distinguished by their vast, monochromatic fields. His early work in abstraction experimented with floral motifs and vivid hues. This approach subsequently underwent a significant transformation resulting in the series of large-scale paintings of which the present work is a part, debuting at the 2011 Venice Biennale. Distinguished by their dense texture, physicality, and intricacy, combined with the compositions’ biomorphic elements, these paintings convey an almost dreamy quality, encouraging reflection as they appear to be pulsing with life.
Wool's consistent investigation of abstraction is memorialized in the present work, which offers a distinctive blend of conventional artistic methods and modern technical advancements. While the segmented divisions and organic shapes give the work a sense of movement and alteration, the stark black tones and rudimentary surface conjure up a raw, industrial sensibility. The painting’s fragmented and unexpected composition demonstrates the strength of Wool’s abstract visual lexicon, expertly balancing harmony and tension.
After the series was unveiled at the 54th Venice Biennale, Mark Godfrey recognized the significance of these works in the context of Wool’s oeuvre, noting that “Wool’s new paintings push the artist’s long consideration of abstraction, shape, and gesture to a different plane” (M. Godfrey, “CLOSE-UP:,” Artforum, 2011). Wool’s remarkable ability to push the limits of abstract painting while staying at the forefront of modern artistic practice is demonstrated in Untitled. A pivotal painting in Wool's career, Untitled is a testament to the artist’s enormous impact on the development of modern art with its dominating scale, complex process, and powerfully potent aesthetic.