Color vs Monotone

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Color vs Monotone

My attention was called to a William Kentridge exhibit at San Francisco Modern Art Museum.

I had never heard of him and since his name was brought into conversation in a discussion of my favorite living artist, Anselm Kiefer, I was intrigued and found this information on SF MOMA website:

"Combining the political with the poetic, William Kentridge's work has made an indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Dealing with subjects as sobering as apartheid and colonialism, Kentridge often imbues his art with dreamy, lyrical undertones or comedic bits of self-deprecation, making his powerful messages both alluring and ambivalent. Perhaps best known for his stop-motion films of charcoal drawings, the internationally renowned South African artist also works in etching, collage, sculpture, and the performing arts, opera in particular. This exhibition explores five primary themes that have engaged Kentridge over the last three decades through a comprehensive selection of his work from the 1980s to the present. Concentrating on his most recent production and including many pieces that have not been seen in the United States, the exhibition reveals as never before the full arc of his distinguished career."

A few samples of his work online give a sense of doom and foreboding. I'm definitely planning to visit the exhibit, which runs from March 14 through May 31, 2009.

My friend however, had a reservation: "I'm not sure that you'll like his work. The pieces are mostly black and white and your colors are so good."

Really? It is a great compliment. But I never have the confidence to call myself a good colorist. I do like colors, particularly after my "grand tour" of Italy when I fell under the spell of Italian High Renaissance masters. Over the years, however, I have produced several paintings that are muted in color, or in monotone. Often I feel the interplay of the dark and the light give a painting energy that is quite sufficient.

Below are a few samples that fall in that category - I'm rather happy with the results: