The Dynamics Of Colour
Untitled 2014 - Robert Swain The explosion of knowledge about colour or should i say light, for they are synonymous, changed the face of art forever and was triggered by the colour theories of French chemist Michele Eugene Chevreul from as early as 1855. France was a hotspot for innovation during the mid to late 1800's and artists followed and incorporated the latest technological developments into their work including new tube oil paints and innovations in photography.The first systematic study of the properties of colour by Chevreul revolutionised the way artists thought about and applied colour in their painting.
The Impressionists were the first group of artists to experiment with and then embrace a method of applying complimentary colours to the canvas in dabs adjacent to each other to achieve an illusory optical effect of a third colour, eg. a blue next to a yellow creates the sensation of a phantom green. Many Impressionist works are essentially experiments in colour and this is important to grasp aside from the fact that they are paintings of "life." Next come the Fauves in the early part of the 20th century with their wild use of colour earning them the nickname "Wild Beasts." The use of colour becomes a bit more scientific with "Orphism" a movement of painters around this same time as Cubism who were interested in the use of colour in abstraction. A key figure is Robert Delaunay and his wife Sonia who painted for the purpose of experimentation. Of course there are other very important figures some of whom often worked independently such as Seurat, Macke, Klee, Kupka, Kandinsky and Leger not to overlook the preceding breakthrough work achieved by Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin.
You're probably wondering where i'm going with this but i'm trying to compress a large period of time in order to get to the present. Simply put, the modern use of colour came by way of experiments by a host of individual artists and scientists over time. The early adoption of a new colour sense formed the modern "way of seeing!" The point i'm trying to make is, we see how we see because of innovations in art; our modern perception has been "formed," it is not incidental! Colour became the critical element in the large scale paintings by Barnett Newman, Clifford Still and Mark Rothko. A few decades later we have Morris Louis, Noland, Frankenthaler and Olitski all taking the use of colour one step further into new territory. For the longest time art informed fashion and culture including advertising and much of this art was innovative and if you will, "avante garde."
Around this time in the early sixties two really key artists appear on the scene, Bridget Riley in the UK and Robert Swain in the USA. These two artists have made colour and its operation essentially the core of their artistic pursuits. Maybe their fantastic dedication to exploring and uncovering the secrets of colour have inspired me the most but it is Robert Swain that i want to look at briefly here. Take a look at the video here produced by James Kalm (Loren Munk) in New York to get a sense of Swains work in an expansive "space."
The Impressionists were the first group of artists to experiment with and then embrace a method of applying complimentary colours to the canvas in dabs adjacent to each other to achieve an illusory optical effect of a third colour, eg. a blue next to a yellow creates the sensation of a phantom green. Many Impressionist works are essentially experiments in colour and this is important to grasp aside from the fact that they are paintings of "life." Next come the Fauves in the early part of the 20th century with their wild use of colour earning them the nickname "Wild Beasts." The use of colour becomes a bit more scientific with "Orphism" a movement of painters around this same time as Cubism who were interested in the use of colour in abstraction. A key figure is Robert Delaunay and his wife Sonia who painted for the purpose of experimentation. Of course there are other very important figures some of whom often worked independently such as Seurat, Macke, Klee, Kupka, Kandinsky and Leger not to overlook the preceding breakthrough work achieved by Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin.
You're probably wondering where i'm going with this but i'm trying to compress a large period of time in order to get to the present. Simply put, the modern use of colour came by way of experiments by a host of individual artists and scientists over time. The early adoption of a new colour sense formed the modern "way of seeing!" The point i'm trying to make is, we see how we see because of innovations in art; our modern perception has been "formed," it is not incidental! Colour became the critical element in the large scale paintings by Barnett Newman, Clifford Still and Mark Rothko. A few decades later we have Morris Louis, Noland, Frankenthaler and Olitski all taking the use of colour one step further into new territory. For the longest time art informed fashion and culture including advertising and much of this art was innovative and if you will, "avante garde."
Around this time in the early sixties two really key artists appear on the scene, Bridget Riley in the UK and Robert Swain in the USA. These two artists have made colour and its operation essentially the core of their artistic pursuits. Maybe their fantastic dedication to exploring and uncovering the secrets of colour have inspired me the most but it is Robert Swain that i want to look at briefly here. Take a look at the video here produced by James Kalm (Loren Munk) in New York to get a sense of Swains work in an expansive "space."
Robert Swain realised early in his art practice that he didn't really understand "colour" so he started off by painting colour charts in order to analyse it more extensively. Colour ended up being the "subject" of his art and since 1966 he has painted a multitude of large scale colour charts revealing colours and their hues in a host of permutations. "For Swain, the experience of color is a transfer of energy on a physical level" says Sharon Mizota in her review of his solo show at the Santa Monica Museum of Art for the LA Times. Swain is obsessed by the notion of colour as "form" and by creating large scale works divided up into 12 inch squares for the most part he has found a way to contain the efficacy of hues by placing them adjacent to other hues that inhibit their tendency to "slippage." Swains paintings are not merely "scientific" or "clinical" observations, they are an attempt to understand and harness the emotional power inherent in colours. This is in some ways similar to what Bridget Riley has been doing since the unveiling of her astounding black and white painting in the sixties now unfortunately titled "Op" art when she subsequently turned a corner and began to experiment with the fugitive nature of colours. Riley prior to Swain also became intrigued by the difficult nature of colour. Swain has remained steadfast for the most part to the grid and hard edge "geometric" charts whereas Riley has been working with a more organic or "curvilinear" use of line in her compositions.
Check out the Minus Space website here for info on "contemporary abstraction."
Check out the Minus Space website here for info on "contemporary abstraction."
What amazes me is Swains steadfast commitment to his "project" of unmasking the beautiful properties of colours! This isn't for the fainthearted as this type of work is far removed from the merely "decorative" or more harmonious figurative art that is much more easily accepted by the mainstream. Many have questioned the "validity" of colour charts as art and this requires a determination on the part of the artist that i would carefully term "heroic." I mean, think about what it takes in time and money to paint these beautiful charts that can be likened to "optical tone" symphonies not unlike the more traditional works by Bonnard, Seurat and Matisse with their genteel everyday scenes but far more direct and objective in their presentation. Robert Swain has left a remarkable body of work that if it could be seen in its entirety i'm sure would convert the most ardent critic or detractor.
Swain has succeeded in creating an extensive suite of visual poems large and small by making "colour" the central theme of his artistic journey. Through a process of experimentation the artist settled on a colour chart in the 70's containing 30 hues as the foundation for his methodology in painting. Settling for a system based on three components, hue, value and saturation, every colour mixed has been assigned to a chart with a corresponding sample colour card. He has also taken the time to document his process painstakingly by amassing a staggering 4896 containers of archived batch colours that have each been assigned an "HSV" number. This approach to work appears to have a clinical or scientific or maybe even mathematical disposition but the artist assures us this isn't the case.
Swain has succeeded in creating an extensive suite of visual poems large and small by making "colour" the central theme of his artistic journey. Through a process of experimentation the artist settled on a colour chart in the 70's containing 30 hues as the foundation for his methodology in painting. Settling for a system based on three components, hue, value and saturation, every colour mixed has been assigned to a chart with a corresponding sample colour card. He has also taken the time to document his process painstakingly by amassing a staggering 4896 containers of archived batch colours that have each been assigned an "HSV" number. This approach to work appears to have a clinical or scientific or maybe even mathematical disposition but the artist assures us this isn't the case.
Like a skilful composer, Swain organises the inner workings of his images by playing with "dynamic equilibrium," "duration," and "symmetry" producing a host of parallel and contrasting relationships and effects between the picture elements in an attempt to create "tension." This process has occurred as a result of a step by step accumulation of knowledge over a more than 45 year period. Ultimately, Swain wants to categorise "colour sensation" which to my understanding would be the first time in human history someone has attempted to do this. This is a great example of what artists can and do achieve and what those accomplishments mean for collective humanity. The work of Robert Swain is not only a marvel to look at in the "flesh" but a great contribution to the knowledge we have about our world. After all, what could be more important than understanding how and what we see or think we see!
Robert Swain, like other artists i have written about, is an inspiration because of what he's achieved through diligence and lateral thinking. There was indeed a vacuum in the 20th century in which many artists were working, unaware of all there was to learn about colour and its function in art. Swain saw this lack and proceeded to fill in the gaps enabling others to study his work and learn more quickly about the operation of colour in art in general and painting in particular.
Please take the time to check out this highly informative series of video interviews with Robert Swain by Matthew Deleget of Minus Space.
Part 1: New York & The Early Years
Part 2: Color System
Part 3: The Grid: Harmony & Contrast
Part 4: Technology & Process
Part 5: The Brushstroke & Beyond
Please take the time to check out this highly informative series of video interviews with Robert Swain by Matthew Deleget of Minus Space.
Part 1: New York & The Early Years
Part 2: Color System
Part 3: The Grid: Harmony & Contrast
Part 4: Technology & Process
Part 5: The Brushstroke & Beyond
