8/11/2016 Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis

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Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis

Fred Tomaselli, “Watt”, 2011, photographic collage, acrylic and resin on wood 48 x 48”

"Writing and painting have been connected throughout history, but literature has, of late, become a diminishedsubject in the medium of painting," observes CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts Director Jens Hoffmannin a statement accompanying Painting Between the Lines, a thoughtfully conceived group show. It is intendedas a corrective. Hoffman commissioned 14 celebrated contemporary painters, including Laura Owens, LaylahAli, Marcel Dzama and Fred Tomaselli, to create a new work inspired by a description of a painting from afamous novel. The presentation is an outstanding blend of style and function. The gallery is filled with spokelike, freestanding wall structures, each forming splayed faces that resemble open books. On the left "page" ofevery spread, a copy of a novel is displayed in a wallmounted vitrine alongside the excerpt that the artistresponded to. The arrangement is framed by bold lines that call to mind antique frontispieces that include thepage number of the excerpt appearing near the wall’s base. The commissioned artwork hangs in the center ofthe right “page”.Yet, despite good intentions and smart design, Painting Between the Lines is an inconsistent and frustratingshow. More often than not, the juxtaposition of the literary fragment with the painting it inspired does adisservice to both. Cecilia Edefalk’s "Ko" provokes a chuckle, but the picture registers as a clever illustrationrather than a complementary artwork when displayed alongside its companion passage from AugustStrindberg’s The Red Room. Laura Owens’ Untitled is uncertain and dull next to its inspiration, a quotation fromSylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Raqib Shaw’s exuberant, candylike The Blue Moon Beam Gatherer is a jewel whenviewed up close, but it seems showy and frivolous from a few feet away, an adolescent’s interpretation of thepainting described in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.Marcel Dzama: “That uncertain Moment”, 2011

8/11/2016 Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis

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Other artists appear to have phoned in their commissions. A brochure accompanying the exhibition claims thatMichael van Ofen’s Untitled offers viewers "a spare version" of Umberto Eco’s illuminated Madonna from TheName of the Rose –an ambiguous form "reflected in [the artist’s] decision to render her face as a featurelesssoft oval." But van Ofen always paints undefined faces; it seems clear he painted a vaguely Madonnalike figureand called it a day. Likewise, Maaike Schoorel’s SelfPortrait as Rebecca is, as the exhibition brochure claims, agood example of the painter’s "muted but evocative style," but, title aside, it’s difficult to connect Schoorel’sabstract picture to the text from Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Jordan Kantor elected to reproduce a simpletext painting described in Albert Camus’ Exile and the Kingdom. It consists of one word written in small script onan otherwise blank canvas, either “solidaire” or “solitaire”. Reading about the image produced by Camus’reclusive artist, Gilbert Jonas, we ponder the moral significance of his opting for secluded contemplation overcivil engagement; it’s heavy stuff. By contrast, Kantor’s literal response to the excerpt seems like a footnote.Samuel Beckett’s 1953 novel, Watt, includes a scene in which a frustrated art viewer struggles to make sense ofa painting, driving himself to tears in the process. Unfortunately, Fred Tomaselli’s Watt lacks the earnest wonderthat imbues most of the artist’s pictures. Also conspicuously absent from his painting is a sense of Beckett’sprotagonist’s urgent need to comprehend the incomprehensible — "a circle and a centre not its centre in searchof a center and its circle respectively, in boundless space, in endless time." Orbiting circles radiate outward frombloodshot eyeballs in Tomaselli’s painting, but, presented alongside the Beckett quote, the piece seems like acartoon rendering of a grand, if indistinct idea. This is not entirely Tomaselli’s fault. Whereas the reader ofBeckett’s novel can imagine an impossible painting, the Painting Between the Lines project asks Tomaselli tomake something concrete of a figment. His attempt is laudable, but the quotation and painting would both bebetter off divorced.Michaël Borremans, “The Hovering Wood”, 2011, oil on wood, 10 x 13”

8/11/2016 Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis

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Fortunately, some pairings work very well. Marcel Dzama’s That Uncertain Moment captures the magicalrealism of Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, and Michaël Borreman’s confidently painted The HoveringWood reveals the making of an illusion not unlike those produced by Raskolnikov, the surrealist artist in GunterGrass’ The Tin Drum. But the few exceptions don’t carry the show.A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it can’t compete with a reader’s imagination. This fact trips up anumber of the artists participating in Painting Between The Lines and raises a surprising question: Should fictionand painting be connected in so explicit a fashion? Moreover, are the two spheres as disconnected as theexhibition suggests? Maybe it’s simply that most contemporary artists reference fiction in more oblique ways. Ifso, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing.–CHRISTOPHER REIGER # # #“Painting Between the Lines” @ CCA Wattis through December 17, 2011.About the Author:Christopher Reiger is a writer, artist, and curator living and working in San Francisco. Artwork can be seen at hiswebsite, and essays on art, natural history, and miscellany can be read at his longrunning blog HungryHyaena.

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Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis

Posted on 29 November 2011.

"Writing and painting have been connectedthroughout history, but literature has, of late,become a diminished subject in the mediumof painting," observes CCA Wattis Institutefor Contemporary Arts Director JensHoffmann in a statement accompanyingPainting Between the Lines, a thoughtfullyconceived group show. It is intended as acorrective. Hoffman commissioned 14celebrated contemporary painters, includingLaura Owens, Laylah Ali, Marcel Dzamaand Fred Tomaselli, to create a new workinspired by a description of a painting froma famous novel. The presentation is anoutstanding blend of style and function. Thegallery is filled with spokelike, freestanding

9/24/2016 Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis | Squarecylinder.com – Art Reviews | Art Museums | Art Gallery Listings Northern California

http://www.squarecylinder.com/2011/11/paintingbetweenthelinesccawattis/ 2/6

Fred Tomaselli, “Watt”, 2011, photographic collage, acrylic and resin onwood 48 x 48”

Marcel Dzama: “That uncertain Moment”, 2011

wall structures, each forming splayed facesthat resemble open books. On the left "page"of every spread, a copy of a novel isdisplayed in a wallmounted vitrinealongside the excerpt that the artistresponded to. The arrangement is framed bybold lines that call to mind antiquefrontispieces that include the page numberof the excerpt appearing near the wall’sbase. The commissioned artwork hangs inthe center of the right “page”. Yet, despite good intentions and smartdesign, Painting Between the Lines is aninconsistent and frustrating show. Moreoften than not, the juxtaposition of theliterary fragment with the painting itinspired does a disservice to both. CeciliaEdefalk’s "Ko" provokes a chuckle, but thepicture registers as a clever illustrationrather than a complementary artwork whendisplayed alongside its companion passagefrom August Strindberg’s The RedRoom. Laura Owens’ Untitled is uncertain

and dull next to its inspiration, a quotation from Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar. Raqib Shaw’s exuberant,candylike The Blue Moon Beam Gatherer is a jewel when viewed up close, but it seems showy andfrivolous from a few feet away, an adolescent’s interpretation of the painting described in FyodorDostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Other artists appear to have phoned in their commissions. Abrochure accompanying the exhibition claims that Michaelvan Ofen’s Untitled offers viewers "a spare version" ofUmberto Eco’s illuminated Madonna from The Name of theRose –an ambiguous form "reflected in [the artist’s] decisionto render her face as a featureless soft oval." But van Ofenalways paints undefined faces; it seems clear he painted avaguely Madonnalike figure and called it a day. Likewise,Maaike Schoorel’s SelfPortrait as Rebecca is, as theexhibition brochure claims, a good example of the painter’s"muted but evocative style," but, title aside, it’s difficult toconnect Schoorel’s abstract picture to the text from Daphne duMaurier’s Rebecca. Jordan Kantor elected to reproduce asimple text painting described in Albert Camus’ Exile and theKingdom. It consists of one word written in small script on anotherwise blank canvas, either “solidaire” or“solitaire”. Reading about the image produced by Camus’reclusive artist, Gilbert Jonas, we ponder the moralsignificance of his opting for secluded contemplation overcivil engagement; it’s heavy stuff. By contrast, Kantor’s literalresponse to the excerpt seems like a footnote. Samuel Beckett’s 1953 novel, Watt, includes a scene in whicha frustrated art viewer struggles to make sense of a painting,driving himself to tears in the process. Unfortunately, Fred Tomaselli’s Watt lacks the earnest wonder that

9/24/2016 Painting Between the Lines @ CCA Wattis | Squarecylinder.com – Art Reviews | Art Museums | Art Gallery Listings Northern California

http://www.squarecylinder.com/2011/11/paintingbetweenthelinesccawattis/ 3/6

Michaël Borremans, “The Hovering Wood”, 2011, oil on wood, 10 x13”

imbues most of the artist’s pictures. Also conspicuously absent from his painting is a sense of Beckett’sprotagonist’s urgent need to comprehend the incomprehensible — "a circle and a centre not its centre insearch of a center and its circle respectively, in boundless space, in endless time." Orbiting circles radiateoutward from bloodshot eyeballs in Tomaselli’s painting, but, presented alongside the Beckett quote, thepiece seems like a cartoon rendering of a grand, if indistinct idea. This is not entirely Tomaselli’sfault. Whereas the reader of Beckett’s novel can imagine an impossible painting, the Painting Between theLines project asks Tomaselli to make something concrete of a figment. His attempt is laudable, but thequotation and painting would both be better off divorced.

Fortunately, some pairings work verywell. Marcel Dzama’s That Uncertain Momentcaptures the magical realism of HarukiMurakami’s Kafka on the Shore, and MichaëlBorreman’s confidently painted The HoveringWood reveals the making of an illusion not unlikethose produced by Raskolnikov, the surrealistartist in Gunter Grass’ The Tin Drum. But thefew exceptions don’t carry the show. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but itcan’t compete with a reader’s imagination. Thisfact trips up a number of the artists participatingin Painting Between The Lines and raises asurprising question: Should fiction and paintingbe connected in so explicit a fashion? Moreover,are the two spheres as disconnected as theexhibition suggests? Maybe it’s simply that most

contemporary artists reference fiction in more oblique ways. If so, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing.–CHRISTOPHER REIGER

# # # “Painting Between the Lines” @ CCA Wattis through December 17, 2011. About the Author:Christopher Reiger is a writer, artist, and curator living and working in San Francisco. Artwork can be seenat his website, and essays on art, natural history, and miscellany can be read at his longrunning blogHungry Hyaena.

About David Roth

View all posts by David Roth →← Artist Profile: Chris McCawMasters of Venice @ de Young Museum →

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