The 100 Day Project #10
After Anni
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — Kansas City, Missouri, USA, 2013
The 100 Day Project, Day 10
If joy were a color, I think it would be pink. I believe in the psychology of color, and pink simply makes me happy — the more vibrant the better, especially on the long gray winter days here in western New York.
I love the modernist abstractionists, especially those working in Color Field painting. In graduate school I wrote deeply researched papers on the optical perception of color and how the brain processes pigment. It never ceases to amaze me how dramatically a color can shift when placed next to another — how much the eye can be fooled, delighted, unsettled.
Josef Albers's Homage to the Square series are among the most quietly delightful Color Field artworks I know. Their magic lies in how deceptively simple they appear — and how complex they actually are. Each one a carefully engineered construction of color relationships masquerading as something you could dash off in an afternoon.
Yet I think it is Anni Albers, Josef's wife, who takes the prize for complex constructions. A leading textile artist and master weaver, Anni's work contributed significantly to dissolving the boundary between craft and fine art. Patterns she drafted remain in production today. When I look at her works I find myself wondering about the math, the calculations, the skill required to spin, dye, and weave fibers into something so precise and so beautiful.
As it happens, I have my very first weaving class later this month at a local arts guild. I'm hoping to learn some techniques to support a body of work I've been developing for a few years — Objects From My Mother's First Marriage. More on that soon.
This image is part of my project Co-Authored — a collection of abstract photographs born from my discomfort with artistic appropriation. I embarked on pilgrimages to photograph artworks in some of the most inspiring museums around the world, resulting in a collection that is playful and mysterious, yet sophisticated and elegant. Because museums are largely filled with art made by men, I titled each artwork after the partner or spouse of the artist whose work I photographed — my way of giving voice to the unrecognized support systems that have made so many male artists' careers possible.
About the photo: After Anni
Pioneering textile artist Anni Albers helped dissolve the boundary between craft and fine are. She was one of the most influential figures of her era. She was married to Josef Albers from 1925–1976.
Artist: Josef Albers
Artwork: Homage to the Square: Red Brass
Location: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — Kansas City, Missouri, USA
About the 100 Day Project: A global creative challenge where thousands of artists share a piece of their practice every single day for 100 days. I'm joining creatives around the world, and I'm excited to bring you along. Each day I'll be sharing one of my photos — some recent, some old, and some from my current project — along with the story behind it: where I was, who I was with, and why I love it.