Peintures sur Chevalet 1998

Daniel Dezeuze made these painted chevalets—or easels—out of humble materials. He makes them out of wood and paint, but they have a lightness, an airiness about them. I love how the paint is thin and washy, and the color is drippy; it looks like they have been quickly put together and painted. I can imagine the artist building them up, piece by piece, probably in his studio. They are all different colors—red, green, and blue—standing like individual figures, caught in a moment of contemplation. These easels remind me of the work of other artists like Blinky Palermo, who experimented with color and form in his minimalist paintings and installations. Like Palermo, Dezeuze seems interested in the basic elements of art. And, of course, these easels reference painting itself, acting as a support for it. It's a reminder that artists are constantly engaging with the history of painting, even as they push it in new directions. This ongoing conversation is what keeps art alive.