Slow Art: An Evaluation on Ad Reınhardt’s Black Paintings

Year 2020, Volume: 29 Issue: 1, 209 - 227, 30.04.2020

İlkay Canan Okkalı , Adil Küçükosman

https://doi.org/10.29135/std.661754

Abstract

Ad Reinhardt is an artist who shaped the American art market in the 1950s and 1960s both with his writings and his paintings. Reinhardt studied black paintings, which are all in the same format between 1960-66, by linking philosophies such as Neo-Platonism and Zen Buddhism to the East-West tradition of pure painting. For Reinhardt, the traditional texts of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christian mysticism were intellectually intriguing sources that provided a rich basis for the increasingly complex and difficult to understand structure of black paintings. What fascinates Reinhardt about Zen and some mystical fields is that they relate to the concepts of meaninglessness and emptiness, and that they meet the artist’s need for telling the abstract in a different way. The artist, who rejects the understanding of making a mimetic painting by moving the picture beyond being visible, defines his work as a logical development of his personal art. The aim of this study is to determine his subjectivity in the art of the 20th century by revealing the formal and conceptual foundations of black square paintings produced by Reinhardt. In the study, which was prepared based on literature review, the black square paintings produced by the artist between 1960 and 66, which are all in the same format, were examined formally and conceptually, and his understanding of art was evaluated and the evaluation was supported by his own discourses and related resources. The data were obtained from online magazines, books and newspapers in addition to the printed sources obtained from local and foreign literature. In the first part of the article, the early works of the artist are addressed and the factors that pave the way for the formation of black square paintings are discussed. In the second part, the process of making these paintings is discussed and analyzed technically and formally. In the last part, the reasons of the viewer’s mutual dialogue with the work, the perception of the paintings and its being considered as the slow art are discussed conceptually. According to the findings, it was understood that there was a need for a slowdown similar to the eastern art and meditations that Reinhardt was philosophical and literary influenced in perception of his black format paintings, which he started in the 1960s. In order to establish the relationship between the work and the viewer, it was seen that the viewer needed more time, patience and focus than the time allocated to any work. Therefore, it is determined that the works of the artist, who aimed to create changes in the perception of the viewer with this conceptual experience called slow art, show resistance to instant consumption.

Keywords

Ad Reinhardt, Paintings, Slow Art, Monochrome, Abstract Art

Yavaş Sanat: Ad Reinhardt’ın Siyah Resimleri Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Abstract

Ad Reinhardt, 1950 ve 1960’larda Amerikan sanat piyasasına hem yazıları hem de resimleri ile yön vermiş bir sanatçıdır. Reinhardt, 1960-66 yılları arasında hepsi aynı formatta olan siyah resimlerini Neo-Platonizm, Zen Budizmi gibi felsefelerle Doğu-Batı saf resim geleneği ile bağlantı kurarak çalışır. Reinhardt için Budizm, Hinduizm ve Hristiyan mistisizminin geleneksel metinleri, siyah resimlerinin giderek artan bir şekilde karmaşık ve anlaşılması zor yapısına zengin bir zemin sağlayan, entelektüel açıdan merak uyandıran kaynaklar olmuştur. Reinhardt’a Zen ve bazı mistik alanlarla ilgili büyüleyici gelen şey ise, bu alanların anlamsızlık ve boşluk kavramlarıyla ilişkili olması ve soyut sanatı farklı bir yolla anlatabilmek için sanatçının duyduğu ihtiyaca karşılık verebilmesidir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Reinhardt’ın üretmiş olduğu siyah kare resimlerin biçimsel ve kavramsal temellerini ortaya koyarak 20. yüzyıl sanatındaki öznelliğini belirlemektir. Literatür taramasına dayalı hazırlanan çalışmada, sanatçının 1960-66 yılları arasında üretmiş olduğu hepsi aynı formatta olan siyah kare resimleri biçimsel ve kavramsal olarak incelenerek sanat anlayışı değerlendirilmiş, değerlendirme kendi söylemleri ve ilgili kaynaklarla desteklenmiştir. Veriler; yerli ve yabancı literatürden elde edilen basılı kaynaklara ek olarak çevrimiçi dergiler, kitaplar ve gazetelerden sağlanmıştır. Makalenin ilk bölümünde sanatçının erken dönem çalışmalarına değinilmiş ve siyah kare resimlerin oluşmasına zemin hazırlayan faktörler üzerinde durulmuştur. İkinci bölümde bu resimlerin yapım süreci ele alınarak teknik ve biçimsel olarak analiz edilmiştir. Son bölümde ise izleyicinin eserle karşılıklı diyaloğu ve resimlerin algılanışı ile yavaş sanat olarak değerlendirilmesinin sebepleri kavramsal açıdan ele alınmıştır. Elde edilen bulgulara göre; Reinhardt’ın 1960’lı yıllarda başladığı siyah formattaki resimlerinin algılanmasında felsefi ve yazınsal olarak etkilendiği Doğu sanatı ve meditasyonlarına benzer şekilde bir yavaşlığa ihtiyaç duyulduğu anlaşılmıştır. Yavaş sanat olarak adlandırılan bu kavramsal deneyimle izleyicinin algısında değişimler yaratmayı hedefleyen sanatçının eserlerinin anlık tüketime direnç gösterdiği tespit edilmiştir.

Keywords

Ad Reinhardt, Yavaş Sanat, Monokrom, Soyut Sanat, resim sanatı

References

• Aghabaylı, A. (2016). Geometric Patterns in Islamic Decoration, (Unpublished Pg.D. Dissertation), Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon
• Anfam, D. (1991). Ad Reinhardt New York, The Burlington Magazine, 133(1062), 641-643, Erişim: 31 Mayıs 2018, Jstor
• Bonfand, A. (2015). Soyut Sanat. Ankara: Dost Kitabevi.
• Cammann, S. (1948). The “TLV” Pattern on Cosmic Mirrors of the Han Dynasty, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 68(4), 159-167
• Canda, E.E. & Gomi, S. (2019). Zen Philosophy of Spiritual Development: Insights about Human Development and Spiritual Diversity for Social Work Education, Journal of Religion & Spirituality In Social Work: Social Thought, 38(1), 43-67
• Corris, M. (2008). Ad Reinhardt. London: Reaktion Books.
• Corcoran, P. (2000). Awaiting Apocalypse. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.
• Critchlow, K. (1976). Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach. Great Britain: Thames & Hudson.
• Cunningham, L. S. (1986). The Black Painting in the Hermit Hatch: A Note on Thomas Merton and Ad Reinhardt, The Merton Annual, 11(4), 10-12
• D’Alessandro, S. (1999). Abstract Painting 1960-1965, 1960-65 by Ad Reinhardt, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, 25(1), 22-23
• Fineberg, J. (2014). 1940’tan Günümüze Sanat: Varlık Stratejileri. (S. Atay-Eskier, G. E. Yılmaz, Çev.) İzmir: Karakalem Kitabevi Yayınları.
• Frankfurter, A. (Ed.). (1960). Portfolio & Art News Annual No. 3, USA: Art Foundation Press, Inc.
• Frelik, E. (2014). Ad Reinhardt: Painter-as-Writer, American Art Journal, 28(3), 104-125
• Gaudnek, W. (1968). The Symbolic Meaning of the Cross in Contemporary American Painting, (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation), New York University, New York
• Glaser, B. (1966). An Interview with Ad Reinhardt, Art International, 10, 18-21
• Greenberg, C. (1986). The Collected Essays and Criticism, Volume 1: Perceptions and Judgments, 1939-1944. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Hançerlioğlu, O. (2000). Felsefe Sözlüğü. İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
• Howe, S. (1974). The End of Art, Archives of American Art Journal, 14(4), 2-7
• Hunter, S. (1991). Ad Reinhardt: Sacred and Profane, Record of the Art Museum [Princeton University], 50(2), 26-38
• Kaplan, M. S. (1937). On the Origin of the TLV Mirror, Revue des arts asiatiques, 11(1), 21-24
• Lippard, L. R. (1981). Ad Reinhardt. New York: Harry N. Abrams.
• Lipsey, R. (2005). Do I want a small painting? The Correspondence of Thomas Merton and Ad Reinhardt: An Introduction and Commentary. The Merton Annual, 18, 260-314
• Lynton, N. (1991). Modern Sanatın Öyküsü (S. Çapan, S. Öziş, Çev.) İstanbul: Remzi Kitabevi.
• Lyon, C. (1991). Making a Difference. Yve-Alain Bois on Ad Reinhardt’s “Black” Paintings, The Museum of Modern Art, 1, 1-22, Erişim: 31 Mayıs 2018, Jstor
• Marie, A. (2014). Ad Reinhardt: Mystic or Materialist, Priest or Proletarian?, The Art Bulletin, 96(4), 463-484
• Miller, S. (2003). An American in Paris: Ad Reinhardt’s Letters (1960-66) to His Dealer Iris Clert, The Burlington Magazine, 145(1207), 716-720, Erişim: 31 Mayıs 2018, Jstor
• Munroe, A. (2009). The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia, 1860–1989. New York: Guggenheim Museum Publication.
• Reed, A. (2015). Ad Reinhardt’s “Black” Paintings, Religion and the Arts, 19(3), 214-229
• Reede, E. (2011). Ad Reinhardt: Visual Perception and the Screenprint Portfolios, Print Quarterly, 28(1), 34-44
• Reki, M. & Selçuk, S.A. (2018). Evolution of Geometric Patterns in Islamic World and A Case on The Jalis of The Naulakha Pavilion in The Lahore Fort, Gazi University Journal of Science Part B: Art Humanities Design and Planning, 6(2), 83-97
• Roob, R. (1991). From the Archives: Ad Reinhardt and the Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, 1, 6-7, Erişim: 31 Mayıs 2018, Jstor
• Rose, B. (Ed.). (1975). Art-as-art: The Selected Writings of Ad Reinhardt. New York: Viking Press.
• Rubin, W. & Koshalek, R. (Ed.). (1991). The Limit of Almost, New York: Rizzoli Press.
• Scheunemann, D. (Ed.). (2005). Avant-Garde / Neo-Avant-Garde, Amsterdam: Brill | Rodopi.
• Sefton, P. (2016). Ad Reinhardt: Yellow Painting (Abstraction), The Art of Jama, 316(4), 380-381
• Sims, P. (1980). Ad Reinhardt, A Concentration of Works from The Permanent Collection of The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, N.Y.: The Museum.
• Smith, W. (1990). Ad Reinhardt’s Oriental Aesthetic, Smithsonian Studies in American Art, 4(3/4), 22-45
• Stringari, C., Pratt, E. & McGlinchey, C. (2004). Reversal Versus Retirement: Study and Treatment of Black Painting, 1960-66 by Ad Reinhardt, Studies in Conservation, 49(sup2), 165-169
• Şahin, O. (2019). Gnostisizm, Gül-Haç Ve Teozofi Işığında İki Kare Örneği: “Koyu Karanlıklar” (Robert Fludd) ve “Siyah Kare” (Kazimir Maleviç), Sanat Tarihi Yıllığı, 28, 103-130
• Tseng, L. (2004). Representation and Appropriation: Rethinking The TLV Mirror in Han China, Early China, 29, 163-215
• Tükel, U. (1997a). Ad Reinhardt. Eczacıbaşı Sanat Ansiklopedisi, (C. 3, 1542) İstanbul: Yem Yayınları.
• Tükel, U. (1997b). Kazimir Maleviç, Eczacıbaşı Sanat Ansiklopedisi, (C. 2, 1158-1159) İstanbul: Yem Yayınları.
• Wasserman, B. (1965). Reinhardt: The Positive Power of Negational Thinking, Art Education, 18(9), 33-35.
• Görsel Kaynakçası
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): https://www.moma.org/artists/4856, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): https://www.moma.org/artists/4856, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA) Collection: https://collection.cmoa.org/objects/1439f0bf-050c-4998-854c-e642ba2b9887, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): https://www.moma.org/artists/4856, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): https://www.moma.org/artists/4856, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• David Zwirner Galeri: https://www.davidzwirner.com/exhibitions/ad-reinhardt, (Erişim Tarihi: 14.11.2019)
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/444286, (Erişim Tarihi: 18.11.2019)
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): https://www.moma.org/artists/4856, (Erişim Tarihi: 17.11.2019)
• The Nelson-Atkins Sanat Müzesi: https://art.nelson-atkins.org/objects/29474/, (Erişim Tarihi: 14.11.2019)