Mineral 2004

John McCracken made "Mineral" - we don't know exactly when - with a real sense of clarity and purpose. I mean, it's just so...there! It's like he's saying, hey, let's get serious about color and form. It's a slab of pure, candy-like redness. I think it's amazing how he makes the surface so smooth and reflective. You almost disappear into it. There is nothing brushy or hand-made, and everything is sleek and almost corporate. It's like a monolith from outer space, but way more friendly. In a way he's doing what Barnett Newman was trying to do but with super high-gloss lacquer and a super clean finish. I wonder, does this guy know Donald Judd? Because it kind of reminds me of him too. But it’s not tortured, or anything like that, you know? It is a total embrace of "thingness" as an idea.