F (A thing is a thing in a whole which it's not)
David Ostrowski's "F (A thing is a thing in a whole which it's not)" is a minimalist canvas characterized by his signature reductive approach, where sparse, gestural marks in oil and lacquer coexist with deliberate areas of near-emptiness. A torn or collaged fragment of paper interrupts the composition, introducing a tactile, material tension against the smooth, industrial quality of the lacquer surface. The work embodies Ostrowski's ongoing investigation into the boundaries of painting itself, questioning what a canvas can withhold rather than express.
- Medium
- oil, lacquer, paper on canvas
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Under the Influence
April 13, 2015
Artists in conversation
Raoul De Keyser
Belgian · b. 1930
De Keyser similarly employed reductive, gestural marks against expanses of near empty canvas, investigating the limits of painting through sparse compositions and quietly material surfaces that balance presence with deliberate absence.
Tomma Abts
German · b. 1967
Abts shares Ostrowski's rigorous conceptual approach to abstract painting, working with restrained palettes and carefully considered mark making that questions the fundamental nature and boundaries of the painted surface.
Helmut Federle
Swiss · b. 1944
Federle creates minimalist abstract works where sparse, loaded marks inhabit large fields of muted neutral tone, generating a similar material and conceptual tension between gesture and emptiness found in this specific piece.
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