Color foil on Alucore 1999

Gerwald Rockenschaub made this artwork using color foil on Alucore, and what strikes me first is how process-oriented it is. You get the feeling that Rockenschaub let the shapes and colors guide him, creating a dialogue between form and surface. Looking closely, the foil gives the piece a slick, almost industrial texture, right? The colors are so vibrant, like candies, but the hard edges of the squares keep it from being too sweet. It’s a real push and pull. See that reddish brown square, smack in the middle? It anchors the whole composition, a grounding force amidst all that playful color. It makes me think of Sol LeWitt, but with a pop sensibility. Rockenschaub seems to be saying that art doesn’t always have to be serious, and that’s a message I can definitely get behind. Ultimately, it reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, full of playful experimentation.