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Lupinus Culcidae
Philip Taaffe
mixed media on canvas
197 × 168.5 cm
1996
Acquisition 1997
Inv. No. 0026
This picture Lupinus culcidae has no apparent narrative content. The pictorial contents are so overlaid with veneers of differentially transparent glaze and more definitely opaque sections that a contemplative depth results.
What is impressive here is that in the picture, Philip Taaffe has again taken up the central theme of American colour field painting – especially that of Barnett Newman.
He disguises this intellectual experiment by means of an apparently paradoxical choice of subject and the primary pictorial element (lupine leaves) while making the logical choice of earth colours. By these means, Philip Taaffe succeeds in packing a high degree of emotional density into this picture which, because of the cool, rational, pictorial concept, creates something formally astringent. This protects the picture from inappropriate charm that many nature representations have. Naturally, Philip Taaffe’s picture is not primarily a nature picture but it evokes a network of references to nature by association nevertheless.
Paul Katzberger, 2005 (translation: Tim Sharp)
Continue readingExhibitions
Abstract Painting Now! Gerhard Richter, Katharina Grosse, Sean Scully ..., Kunsthalle Krems, Krems, 2016
Nach Rokytník. The collection of EVN, MUMOK, Vienna, 2005
There is something you should know. Die EVN Sammlung im Belvedere, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, 2000
KünstlerInnen. 50 Positionen zeitgenössischer internationaler Kunst. Videoportraits und Werke, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, 1997
Publications
Abstract Painting Now! Gerhard Richter, Katharina Grosse, Sean Scully [on the occasion of the exhibition at Kunsthalle Krems, July 2nd 2017 – November 5th 2017], Cologne 2017, p. 127
evn sammlung 95–05, Cologne 2005, p. 314 f
KünstlerInnen. 50 Gespräche, Bregenz 1997, p. s. p.
evn sammlung. Ankäufe 1995 – 1996, Maria Enzersdorf 1997, p. 36
Context
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