Artists/Mark Grotjahn

Mark Grotjahn's exploration of perspective and form is a cornerstone of his artistic inquiry, deeply rooted in a blend of historical reverence and innovative experimentation. His work, particularly evident in his renowned Butterfly series, utilizes a structured approach as a foundation for variations that oscillate between the abstract and the figurative, between the ordered and the chaotic. Grotjahn's art does not merely adopt the Renaissance technique of vanishing points for its visual allure but repurposes it to delve into the psyche and perception of the viewer, creating a space where multiple interpretations and experiences coexist.

The artist's methodical yet flexible approach allows for a profound exploration of color, shape, and texture, morphing from one form to another—sometimes appearing as butterfly wings, other times as masks or even abstract expressions devoid of any figurative anchor. This fluid transformation within a structured framework challenges traditional notions of perspective, drawing the viewer into a dizzying array of color and form that seems to defy spatial logic while remaining anchored in a recognizable system.

Grotjahn's work, particularly in series like the Butterfly drawings exhibited at the Hammer Museum, demonstrates his engagement with abstraction not as a mere stylistic choice but as a deeply personal and experiential process. The intensity and dedication in applying pencil to paper transcend the act of drawing, suggesting a meditation or a dialogue with the medium itself. This interaction between the artist's hand and the material, combined with a deliberate use of color and form, imbues his work with a tactile presence that is both visually striking and emotionally resonant.

His artistic practice, while acknowledging the weight of art historical influences, remains distinctly personal and innovative. Grotjahn's exploration extends beyond the visual to encompass the experiential, suggesting that his work is not only about seeing but also about feeling and experiencing art as a dynamic and evolving conversation between the creator, the viewer, and the medium​ (Wikipedia)​​ (The Broad)​​ (Hammer Museum)​.

Mark Grotjahn's art brilliantly navigates the interplay between abstraction and figuration, creating a dynamic tension that challenges the boundaries of each. By continuously blending these seemingly incompatible poles along with elements of realism and expressionism, Grotjahn asserts the enduring significance of both abstraction and painting in contemporary art. This conceptual approach is evident in his exhibitions, where abstract and figurative elements collide to question the conventions of each, providing new ways of seeing and understanding art​ (Aspen Art Museum)​.

Grotjahn's work is a testament to the complexity of visual language, straddling the line between the abstract and the figurative to explore the limits of gesture, geometry, impulse, and precision. His art evolves through precise yet mutable frameworks, forming a rich vocabulary of visual motifs that transition from one series to the next, demonstrating an almost obsessive engagement with form and representation​ (Home - Galerie Max Hetzler)​.

In his Perspective and Butterfly paintings, for instance, Grotjahn manipulates traditional perspective techniques to produce mesmerizing abstractions that oscillate between geometric abstraction and spatial illusion. These works, while initially appearing formal and graphic, reveal textured surfaces and tonal shifts upon closer inspection, showcasing the layered process of their creation. The Face paintings further exemplify his exploration, where complexly layered surfaces on cardboard mounted on linen blur the lines between line, color, and texture, building into images that penetrate the viewer's gaze​ (Aspen Art Museum)​.

Moreover, Grotjahn's mask sculptures extend his unique engagement with painting into three dimensions, showcasing his investment in the process and ritual of art-making. Displayed in various locations, including Aspen and Snowmass, these sculptures underscore Grotjahn's commitment to exploring form and representation across different mediums​ (Aspen Art Museum)​.

His method of blending abstraction and figuration, underpinned by a deep understanding and questioning of art historical influences, signifies a profound contribution to the discourse on contemporary art. Grotjahn’s work invites viewers to engage with art in ways that are both intellectually rigorous and viscerally engaging, challenging preconceived notions of what paintings and sculptures can convey​ (The Broad)​.

Mark Grotjahn's exploration of color and texture is a critical aspect of his work, manifesting in various ways across his oeuvre. His experimentation is not confined to a single method or outcome but spans a range of techniques and series, each reflecting a deep engagement with the materiality of his chosen mediums.

In the Backcountry series, exhibited at Gagosian London, Grotjahn delves into abstraction, pulling further away from the anthropomorphic roots seen in his earlier Masks and Face series. This shift is particularly evident in the use of oil on linen-mounted cardboard, a favorite medium that allows him to scrape and sometimes carve into the material, unveiling the layers of paint beneath. This process introduces a tactile quality to the works, where the texture becomes a central element of the visual experience. The series reflects Grotjahn's interest in the natural world, inspired by his experiences in Colorado's backcountry, merging abstract mark-making with the expansive and immersive qualities of nature​ (GalleriesNow)​.

Grotjahn's approach to color is equally nuanced. In Untitled (Backcountry Capri 54.79), for example, wide streamers of white and red arc across a black background, creating a vivid contrast that is both graphic and expressive. This interplay is further complicated by "slugs" of paint—rolls manufactured by scraping off and reattaching excess impasto—that add a physical depth and complexity to the work. These elements disrupt the composition, introducing a dialog between the underlying structure and the surface texture, which Grotjahn describes as akin to a scar that enhances beauty​ (GalleriesNow)​.

The broader implications of Grotjahn's work in color and texture reach beyond the visual to touch on themes of perception, representation, and the nature of art itself. His ongoing experimentation represents a commitment to exploring the limits of painting and abstraction, pushing against the boundaries of traditional representation to offer new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.

These series, including his comprehensive survey at the Aspen Art Museum, showcase Grotjahn's evolution from the structured Perspective and Butterfly paintings to the more layered and complex Face paintings, and finally to the expansive and immersive qualities of the Backcountry series. Each phase of his work demonstrates a deepening engagement with the processes of painting, where line, color, and texture are not merely elements of composition but vital, expressive forces in their own right​ (Aspen Art Museum)​​ (Home - Galerie Max Hetzler)​.

Mark Grotjahn's artistry is profoundly influenced by a diverse range of art historical motifs, showcasing his ability to synthesize and transform these influences into a contemporary visual language that is uniquely his own. His work, deeply rooted in the exploration of perspective and form, employs a sophisticated interplay of geometric abstraction and figuration, engaging with and expanding upon various art historical traditions.

Grotjahn's Butterfly series, initiated in the late 1990s, presents a complex study of perspective through dynamic geometric patterns that recede into deep vanishing points, employing a vibrant yet simultaneously dark and bold color palette. This series references and reinterprets elements of Op Art and other art historical movements, demonstrating Grotjahn's engagement with the formal and perceptual concerns of previous art traditions while pushing these dialogues into new territories. The Butterfly paintings stand out for their structured approach to abstract painting, where the interplay of line, color, and vanishing points creates a mesmerizing visual experience that oscillates between flatness and depth, abstraction and spatial illusion​ (Berggruen)​.

In the early 2000s, Grotjahn began his Face and Mask series, which continues to employ the rich color palette and themes of depth and perspective that are characteristic of his work but shifts towards more rounded, organic forms and lines. Unlike the sharp geometric patterns of the Butterfly series, these later works are more figurative and flowing, evidencing Grotjahn's versatility and his ability to move fluidly between different modes of representation. These series further Grotjahn's exploration of the possibilities of painting, engaging with the materiality of paint and the act of mark-making in a manner that is both reflective of and a departure from the influences of past art movements​ (Berggruen)​.

Grotjahn's paintings and drawings reflect a synthesis of the ordered world of the Renaissance with modernist moments that question that order, showing the transformation of abstract systems into figuration and vice versa. His work allows certain optic tendencies to surface and then quickly undermines them, creating a dialogue between various traditions of abstraction, from Renaissance perspective techniques to Op Art's exploration of visual perception. By employing a set structure from which improvisations and modifications emerge, Grotjahn's art recontextualizes perspective, confronts traditions of op art, and offers new discoveries about the sources and inspirations for modern art, making his contributions to contemporary painting profoundly impactful​ (The Broad)​.

Through his innovative approach and nuanced engagement with art historical influences, Mark Grotjahn has established himself as a pivotal figure in contemporary art, whose work challenges, revitalizes, and expands the possibilities of painting and sculpture.

Mark Grotjahn's engagement with optical and visual perception is a defining characteristic of his work, reflecting a deep investigation into the realms of abstraction and figuration, as well as the historical and perceptual underpinnings of vision. His art, encompassing painting, drawing, and sculpture, interweaves historical modes of abstraction, probing the boundaries between gesture and geometry, impulse and precision. By employing a rigorous yet evolving methodology, Grotjahn unfolds a rich vocabulary of visual motifs that transition across series in intricate variations, revealing the complexity of visual perception and the authorial process of creation​ (Gagosian)​.

His work, particularly noted in the Butterfly series, utilizes a sophisticated approach to perspective that both anchors and destabilizes the viewer's gaze. By manipulating traditional perspective techniques and employing vibrant color schemes, Grotjahn creates mesmerizing patterns that seem to recede into the canvas, offering a dynamic interplay between flatness and spatial illusion. This exploration is not merely a formal exercise but a profound inquiry into how we see, interpret, and emotionally connect with abstract compositions. Through these series, Grotjahn doesn't just challenge our perception but invites us to reconsider the act of looking itself, making his art a complex dialogue between the viewer and the viewed​ (The Broad)​.

Moreover, Grotjahn's experimentation with mark-making and his manipulation of the canvas surface in his Face and Mask series further complicates this dialogue, introducing organic forms and textures that contrast with the geometric precision of his earlier works. This shift towards a more spontaneous mode of expression does not abandon his interest in optical effects but rather deepens it, presenting a nuanced investigation into the multifaceted nature of visual perception​ (The Broad)​.

By continuously blurring the lines between the abstract and the representational, Grotjahn's work transcends simple categorization, offering a unique lens through which to explore the complexities of seeing and understanding art. His engagement with optical and visual perception is not only a testament to his mastery over his medium but also to his deep understanding of the viewer's psychological and sensory experience, making his work a significant contribution to contemporary art​ (The Broad)​​ (The Museum of Modern Art)​.

Mark Grotjahn's reflections on nature and the sublime are deeply intertwined with his creative process, particularly evident in his Backcountry series. This collection of works, showcased in exhibitions at Gagosian's Gstaad and London galleries in 2023 and 2022 respectively, marks a continuation of Grotjahn’s exploration of the abstract through motifs and techniques that delve into color, perspective, seriality, and the sublime​ (Gagosian)​​ (Gagosian)​​ (Gagosian)​.

In the Backcountry series, Grotjahn draws inspiration from the rural landscapes and his outdoor adventures in western Colorado, such as ski touring and fly-fishing. These experiences, embedded in the natural world's vastness and grandeur, resonate through his use of expansive canvases and a palette that suggests the physical sensation of moving through a snowy mountainous terrain or the dark tranquility of nocturnal settings. The works place the viewer in a direct, visceral relationship with both the act of painting and the natural scenes that inspire them, aiming not to capture specific landscapes but to convey the essence and awe of the natural world. Through bold, expressive movements and a technique that involves scraping and sometimes carving into the paint, Grotjahn imbues his works with a physicality that mirrors his engagement with the sublime aspects of nature​ (Gagosian)​.

The horizontal format of many paintings in this series, executed on black grounds with oil on linen-mounted cardboard, signifies a graphic muscularity and a departure from earlier works with white backgrounds. This shift towards darker grounds is reflective of Grotjahn's desire to portray a more immersive experience, akin to being under the night sky, emphasizing the individual's smallness in comparison to the vastness of the cosmos. His unique process includes creating "slugs" of paint, adding a three-dimensional aspect to the works that disrupt the compositions both visually and texturally, likening these imperfections to scars that enhance beauty​ (Gagosian)​​ (Gagosian)​.

Grotjahn's Backcountry series is a profound meditation on the sublime in nature, where the abstracted elements of his compositions invite contemplation and emotional response, bridging the experiential gap between the viewer and the vast, often untamed landscapes that inspire the artist. Through this series, Grotjahn further solidifies his exploration into the formal and expressive possibilities of paint, where abstraction serves as both a method of depiction and a mode of experiencing the world.

Mark Grotjahn's use of masks and anthropomorphism in his art showcases a profound engagement with both abstract and figurative elements, pushing the boundaries of visual language. Grotjahn has been making masks since 2000, initially using cardboard boxes and paper tubes to create forms with cut-out "eyes," evolving these into a significant part of his sculptural practice by casting them in bronze from 2010. These masks, often signed boldly as part of their composition, blur the line between abstraction and figuration, embodying a unique armature for his exploration of form and identity​ (Gagosian)​.

His Capri works, starting in 2016, signify a deliberate shift towards a more experimental and spontaneous process, moving away from the structured anthropomorphic underpinnings of the Face series. These works were first conceptualized for a private showing at Casa Malaparte in Capri, Italy, and evolved through the Capri and Free Capri series. This evolution highlights Grotjahn's interest in breaking away from previous thematic confines, allowing for a broader exploration of abstraction and form. The technique of scraping out areas of thick paint to create "slugs," which are then arranged in various compositions, underscores his continuous experimentation within his identifiable style​ (Gagosian)​.

Across his diverse body of work, including the Butterflies, Faces, Masks, and Capri series, Grotjahn reveals the complexities of authorial gesture, employing various modes of abstraction to probe the limits between gesture and geometry, impulse and precision. His engagement with the mask motif and anthropomorphic elements exemplifies a deep investigation into the nature of identity and representation, straddling the realms of the personal and the universal​ (Gagosian)​.

Through these explorations, Grotjahn's work invites a reevaluation of the familiar, encouraging viewers to confront the complexities of visual perception and the intricate dance between the abstract and the representational. His continuous experimentation and commitment to evolving his practice underscore a profound engagement with the history and future of painting and sculpture.

Mark Grotjahn's investigation into the medium of painting encompasses a dynamic exploration of abstract and figurative elements, blending various historical modes of abstraction. His work delves into the tension between gesture and geometry, impulse and precision, unfolding through precise yet mutable frameworks. Grotjahn's paintings, drawings, and sculptures reveal a complex authorial gesture through an expansive vocabulary of visual motifs, migrating obsessively from one series to the next. This process highlights the artist's continual engagement with the formal and expressive possibilities of paint, as well as his experimentation with abstract mark making. His approach demonstrates a deep commitment to exploring the limits and potential of painting, contributing significantly to contemporary discussions around abstraction and the role of the artist's hand in the creative process​ (Gagosian)​​ (Gagosian)​.

Grotjahn's journey through various series, such as the Butterflies, Faces, Masks, and Capri works, showcases his evolving practice that seeks to break away from established norms towards more experimental and spontaneous processes. The transition to the Capri series, for example, marked a departure from the more structured Face paintings towards a methodology that embraces the unpredictability of scraping out thick layers of paint and rearranging them in novel compositions. This exploratory spirit extends to his use of social media platforms like Instagram, where he experiments with the arrangement of images, further blurring the lines between his distinct series and emphasizing the interconnectedness of his body of work. Grotjahn's artistic exploration is deeply intertwined with the material and conceptual challenges of painting, offering a nuanced reflection on the medium's capacity to encapsulate complex narratives of perception, form, and color​ (Gagosian)​.

Mark Grotjahn's engagement with the themes of repetition and seriality is a fundamental aspect of his artistic practice, pervading much of his work across various series. This approach allows him to explore the nuances of form, color, and perspective, creating a richly layered visual experience. Grotjahn's work is marked by a process-oriented approach, where the act of repetition serves as a means to delve deeper into the structural and thematic concerns of his art, often leading to an almost obsessive refinement of motifs and patterns.

In series like the Butterfly and Face paintings, Grotjahn employs seriality to investigate the constructs of dual and multi-point perspective, systematically altering composition and color to reveal new perceptual and aesthetic possibilities. The repetition within these series is not merely a formal exercise but becomes a method for Grotjahn to engage with the painting process as a form of inquiry, allowing for the emergence of variations that underscore the dynamic interplay between order and chaos, simplicity and complexity.

Similarly, his Sign Exchange project and subsequent works like the Mask series showcase Grotjahn's fascination with the iterative process, where the repetition of forms and symbols invites a deeper contemplation of the art object's materiality and the role of the artist's hand. Through these practices, Grotjahn reveals the complexities of authorial gesture, underscoring the significance of repetition and seriality not only as aesthetic strategies but also as means to probe the boundaries of the medium of painting itself.

By continuously revisiting and reinterpreting certain motifs and structures, Grotjahn's work embodies a relentless pursuit of variation within a defined set of parameters. This approach reflects a broader interest in the potential of seriality to generate meaning and evoke emotional or intellectual responses, situating his work within a rich tradition of artists for whom repetition serves as both a conceptual foundation and a source of creative inspiration​ (Gagosian)​​ (The Museum of Modern Art)​​ (Home - Galerie Max Hetzler)​.