To create this vibrant oil painting, Rudolf de
Crignis (1948–2006) carefully applied individual coats of different colors, one
layer at a time. Taken together, the paint layers generate a translucent yet brilliant
color. Of his process, the artist said, “Each decision, each step is important.
The reaction to what has already been painted must remain open and clear. The
layers are applied precisely, the paint worked until the relevant layer becomes
integrated and enters into a relation with the existing work.” The
paintings made this way possess a luminous depth; de Crignis repeatedly
described the works as “catalysts” of light. A striking example of this
technique, Painting #01-07 is a vivid
blue square, scaled with the size of the human body in mind. With these
dimensions, the painting becomes an immersive visual field. As was his custom,
de Crignis left the edges of the painting white, so that they, in his words,
“incorporate the walls.” As a result, the painting almost appears to float.
Born in Winterthur, Switzerland, de Crignis
studied at the Form und Farbe Schule für Gestaltung (Form and Color School for
Design) in Zurich and the Hochschule für bildende Künste (University of Fine
Arts) in Hamburg, Germany. He began his career as a performance and video
artist, exhibiting in the Swiss Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1976;
however, he shifted his focus to painting in the early 1980s. At this time, de
Crignis began visiting New York City, and in January of 1985, de Crignis
received a six-month studio award from the City of Zurich and was provided with
a loft in SoHo, New York City. In 1987, he saw To the People of New York, 1976, a series of abstract paintings by
German painter Blinky Palermo, at Dia Center for the Arts, which had a profound
impact on his painting practice. De Crignis began making meticulously executed
paintings, often in radiant blues or subtle grays. In 1987, he moved to East
Harlem, where he lived and worked until his death in 2006, at age 58. The
artist has often credited the city of New York with opening his eyes to the
possibilities of painting.
