Always one to challenge the boundaries of art, Rudolf Stingel strives to dispel the preconceptions based around art’s elevated status and actively negates any notions of hierarchy within its production. Using a broad range of mediums and techniques, Stingel explores various means of artistic expression, however, what transcends all of his pieces is an inherently reductionist approach. Peeling away areas, scratching into surfaces, carving out patches in his material, are just some of the ways the artist signals his presence. In this manner, Stingel refuses to conform to notions of the artist’s hand bringing clarity and development.
Rudolf Stingel's oil on canvas work exemplifies his signature reductionist approach, where the act of subtraction becomes the primary mode of expression. Rather than building up layers of paint to create form, Stingel strips away, scratches, and carves into the surface, leaving behind traces of his physical presence as both mark and meaning. The result is a work that challenges traditional notions of painterly skill, inviting viewers to reconsider what it means for an artist's hand to leave its mark on a canvas.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Spotted At
- Auction House · Phillips
🔨 Auction Lot
Contemporary Art Evening Sale
October 14, 2015
More by Rudolf Stingel
styrofoam, 4 panels
“Zen is about acceptance, right?” Mr. Stingel said. “So that’s the way it is. I do sit and look at him sometimes — we have a meaningful relationship. You can’t get over it. You just live with it.” - Rudolph Stingel
The radicalness of Stingel’s Cellotex panels is often underestimated. While rejecting any suggestion of being a social, political or conceptual gesture, these works may be some of the most open and brave moments in recent contemporary art production. As with his provocative instruction book on how to make his paintings, Stingel once again gives himself and his work, in their totality, to the public and the viewer. He invites the viewer inside the surface of his work, and allows anyone to make a 'contribution' to it. The critical voice of the viewer becomes part of the work. Like magnetic tape, the artist records the viewer’s reaction to his work – not simply verbally, but physically.
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