Ceci n'est pas une Reinhardt
- Jul 22, 2015
- 1 min read
If you were interested in going to see an Ad Reinhardt at the Addison
Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, Andover this summer don’t bother making the trip. By all means, travel to see the exceptional permanent collection of American art (especially the pieces collected from the early to mid- 20th century which includes choice work by Bellows, Hopper, Hoffman, Henri, Lewitt…etc.), but the exhibition entitled Light/Dark, White/Black fails to deliver a true representation from the greatest Black Painting painter of all time - Ad Reinhardt. Mentioned as one of the select artists on view in the exhibition’s description, Reinhardt's presence at the museum manifests itself in a large blow-up of one of his philosophical writings on the nature of “black” in painting, and a small framed screen print of one of his mature “Black Paintings.” The curators explain that the exhibition focuses on the nature of black and white in art:
Beyond their effectiveness in depicting three-dimensionality and conveying light and shade to construct the illusion of space, black and white have long fascinated artists, as they are rich with symbolism, metaphor, and association. Comprised of challenging juxtapositions, harmonious ensembles, and unexpected pairings, this exhibition explores how artists use different formal elements and mediums to exploit the associative character of black and white and visually render conceptual themes. (Exhibition Pamphlet)
The problem with the screen print is that it exemplifies exactly what Reinhardt was trying to undermine in the mid-twentieth century art milieu- the reproduction and commodification of art objects. Reinhardt also demanded that the viewer work hard to actually see his anti-object art-object (see MOMA video below), but his efforts are confounded by the high gloss nature of the print. You can see my reflection in the photograph of the print above - I’m essentially looking at myself and having a hard time seeing what Reinhardt was so adamantly trying to get me to see- the art moment; something that cannot be put in a book, on a mug, or t-shirt. The curators miss this point entirely, celebrating the technological achievement of the screen print “from the portfolio X+X… skillfully captur[ing] the subtle variations in hue between different areas of the image.” If you would like to read more on Reinhardt and his fascinating dialectical approach to art, take a look at my piece in the pdf below.
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