John Baldessari's "Pictures & Scripts" series, exhibited at Marian Goodman Gallery in London from February 28 to April 25, 2015, represents a significant evolution in his exploration of the relationship between image and text. This collection comprises 20 new paintings that bring together still images from black-and-white films with excerpts from fictional narrative film scripts. By removing these film stills from their original context and pairing them with dialogue, Baldessari creates a space where the viewer is invited to reimagine the narrative, blurring the lines between cinema genres and art (Marian Goodman) (Artsy).
The series continues Baldessari's career-long fascination with the interplay of words and pictures, a theme he has been developing since the 1960s. Each piece in the series functions as a diptych, with one side presenting an image—often cropped to amplify its ambiguity—and the other offering a snippet of dialogue that seems to contradict or challenge the visual component. This juxtaposition encourages viewers to construct their own stories, engaging with the artwork in a participatory manner (We Heart).
"Pictures & Scripts" not only reflects Baldessari's interest in the narrative possibilities of images and text but also showcases his humorous critique of the art world. The scripts hint at conversations between art world insiders, serving both as a commentary on the commercial aspects of art and as an invitation for viewers to delve into the absurdities and incongruities of these dialogues. By combining elements from different domains—cinematic imagery, art historical references, and fabricated scripts—Baldessari creates a unique visual and textual landscape that challenges conventional understandings of narrative and representation (Marian Goodman) (Artsy) (We Heart).
This series exemplifies Baldessari's innovative approach to art-making, where the boundaries between different media are not only blurred but also questioned, encouraging a deeper engagement with the work's underlying themes and concepts. "Pictures & Scripts" stands as a testament to Baldessari's enduring impact on contemporary art, highlighting his ability to continually reinvent his practice while remaining faithful to his core interests in the power of images and words to generate new meanings.