Dan Colen

Eliminating the protagonists, Colen paints the tunnel from two different angles, as well as other scenes from the desert landscape in the cartoon. The paint is applied to the canvas with the bare minimum of oil, producing a variety of surfaces—from matte to waxy—that emphasize the fundamental physical qualities of the material. Though based on found images, the canvases veer toward hard-edge abstraction, juxtaposing earthy and artificial tones while contrasting flat planes with perspectival or volumetric details, such as craggy rock formations and expressionistic shrubs. The Great Silence (2016–18) shows the ochre earth and a gray-brown road leading into a striking triangular plane of chemical yellow; The Trap and The Reward (both 2016–18) pair shades of cobalt with rusty reds and fluorescent oranges; and The Mercenary (2016–18) offers a view of the ground alone, tufts of grass and a single green plant adding gestural moments to the otherwise geometric scene. To underscore the three-dimensionality of the paintings, Colen chose to extend each image around the sides of the canvases, evoking the lacquered sculptures of John McCracken.

Drawing inspiration from Brice Marden’s smooth encaustic planes and the crisp yet organic delineations in Georgia O’Keeffe’s biomorphic landscapes, the Desert Paintings merge art historical and spiritual allusions with popular art forms, such as cartoons, stage sets, and billboards. In effect, they not only attest to the centrality of painting in Colen’s oeuvre, but conversely also shed light on the themes of performance, trickery, and belief that course through the broader history of painting. It is no coincidence that he sets these questions within the landscape of the American West, where the sublime is freighted with more insidious intentions, like those of Wile E. Coyote towards the carefree and unsuspecting Road Runner.

A fully illustrated catalogue with a text by Douglas Fogle will accompany the exhibition.