Untitled 1960

This untitled work by Howard Mehring appears to be made from layers of acrylic paint, likely applied through a process of controlled staining. The effect is something like a textile, with a pattern that emerges through the accumulation of many small gestures. Mehring was associated with the Washington Color School, and these artists were fascinated by the qualities of paint itself. They thinned it, poured it, coaxed it into chromatic effects, and in so doing, brought painting closer to the realm of the decorative arts. The canvas is raw and unprimed, which allows the colors to soak directly into the material, becoming one with it. This creates a sense of depth and luminosity that is hard to achieve with more traditional painting techniques. The work asks us to consider the amount of labor involved in creating such a complex and subtle surface, and to appreciate the skill and control required to achieve this effect. It is a reminder that even seemingly abstract works of art are rooted in material processes, and that these processes can imbue the work with meaning and significance.