John McCracken

Untitled Abstract

1977

Pastel on Paper

signed and dated 

signed John McCracken '77

dimensions 24" wide x 19" high
SOLD

Condition is very good. There is a pin hole on each upper corner, an one small puncture ( approx 2mm ) on upper right, with paper "plug" still present.

Abstract color field drawing reminiscent of the works of Jackson Pollack.  Marks are laid down energetically and intuitively, suggesting at forms that never fully arise from the composition.  The end result is balanced and engaging.

We have tried to match color as close as possible in the image shown, however the original photo was a bit dark so processing was a challenge.  The paper is off-white, not cream, with no significant fading or yellowing, and a bit smudgy around the edges from the artist's hand.

Modern Artist John McCracken was born in Berkeley, California in 1934.  Known as a minimalist, the foundations of McCracken's artistic vocabulary were laid in the mid-1960s, in parallel with the work of such artists as Carl Andre, Donald Judd, and Larry Bell. His quest to distill the work of art to its most basic form led him to make monochrome geometric volumes that directly occupy space. 

While simple in form, his smooth and colorful surfaces imply a certain sensuality that is alien to the work of people like Carl Andre and Robert Morris.  In 1966 he arrived at the form for which he is best-known, the "plank": a simple elongated form standing on the floor and leaning against the wall. At the same time as these "planks" he was also making freestanding columnar forms and geometric volumes whose singleness was their most important feature.