DEPTH AND SURFACE: Is painting, like art itself, a presentation of the “on top,” obvious, immediate?—and is it also a presentation of what is implied, deep, “below”?—and is art, consequently, an interplay of surface and sensation as “this” and depth and thought as “all that”? —Eli Siegel, from Is Beauty the Making One of Opposites?
I love how this print is a oneness of what Eli Siegel describes: “a presentation of the ‘on top,’” and “what is implied, deep, ‘below.’” Three geometric shapes—a triangle and two trapezoids—are placed boldly, front and center, on a blue surface. They are dynamic and have a majestic quality.
There is mystery in the large dark triangle and nuance in its rich black and grey tonalities. But is it a flat plane or a volume? Within its shadowy recesses we see three-dimensional spaces and forms that slowly reveal themselves.
The two trapezoids—photographic images of upright panels of boards—are imposing in size. They seem to float on the surface. Surprisingly, they are collaged on top of the triangle. They jut forward, yet also go into depth. The perspective lines they create are vital to the composition, as they lead our eye out into blue space and into the depths of that stable triangle with its delicate tip.
In life when we assert ourselves, too often we hide our depths, and don’t see or grant the depth in others. I feel this print criticizes that unjust way of seeing, which I’ve had. In this work, going forth and receding, assertion and depth are together in surprising ways that make for wonder and respect. —Donita Ellison