Mel Bochner, Obvious, 2019 |
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| Artist: | Mel Bochner (1940 - ) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Obvious, 2019 |
| Medium: | Monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed Twinrocker handmade paper |
| Image Size: | 32 in x 19 3/4 in (81.3 cm x 50.2 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 32 in x 19 3/4 in (81.3 cm x 50.2 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 37 in x 26 3/4 in (94 cm x 67.9 cm) |
| Signature: | This work is hand signed by Mel Bochner (Pittsburgh, 1940 - ) in pencil on the recto. |
| Condition: | This work is in excellent condition. |
| ID # | w-6770 |
Using words as the imagery and subject of his work, Mel Bochner stages a literal dialogue between the artwork and the viewer. Harvard art historian Benjamin Buchloh credited Bochner with pioneering the use of language when he described Bochner’s 1966 Working Drawings as “probably the first truly conceptual exhibition.” Obvious, 2019 is an exemplary work of Bochner’s oeuvre, displaying a powerful combination of bold text and bright color. The brightly rendered text in Obvious, 2019 projects outward both figuratively and literally, as the text is meant to be read and the textured surface physically lifts the words off the surface of the work. The question “Do I have to paint you a picture?” draws attention back to the work, simultaneously recognizing the work’s own status as a visual object as well as its subversion of visual tradition.
The way that Bochner plays with the color and placement of the words to create emphasis deepens the visual complexity of his work. For instance, the word “face” is rendered in a brilliant orange over a patch of rich yellow, which effectively turns the word into a kind of face or focal point of the work. Likewise, the word “duh” is located at the bottom and accented by an exclamation mark, formally evoking the meaning of this colloquialism.
Created in 2019, Mel Bochner Obvious, 2019 is a monoprint with collage, engraving and embossment on hand-dyed Twinrocker handmade paper. This work is hand signed and dated by Mel Bochner (Pittsburgh, 1940 - ) in pencil on the recto. Mel Bochner Obvious, 2019 is a unique and original work.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Mel Bochner Obvious, 2019 is fully documented in the below catalogue raisonné (a copy will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work). Mel Bochner Obvious, 2019 is a unique and original work.
1. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.
About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards Mel Bochner Obvious, 2019 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.
