Rudolf Stingel's Instruction Paintings are a fascinating aspect of his artistic oeuvre, blending conceptual art with a hands-on approach that invites audience participation and challenges traditional perceptions of authorship and creation. Conceived in 1989, these paintings are based on a methodical process detailed by Stingel in a manual that was published in six languages. This manual provides step-by-step instructions for creating an abstract painting using oil paint, a piece of fabric, and silver enamel, emphasizing the idea that anyone could produce a work of art following Stingel's guidelines.
The creation of an "Instruction Painting" involves painting a canvas with a layer of oil paint, laying a fabric over it, then spraying silver enamel over the fabric. Before the paint completely dries, the fabric is removed, leaving a textured, mixed surface. This process, simple in its steps, can result in vastly different outcomes depending on variables such as the type of fabric used, the drying time, and the ratios of materials applied. This technique not only demystifies the art-making process but also engages with themes of replication, the dematerialization of the art object, and the role of the artist's hand in the value of art.
These works were a significant part of Stingel's exhibitions, notably his 2007 retrospective that toured from the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The "Instruction Paintings" represented a shift from intimate canvases made with modest materials to larger, more formally uniform paintings, illustrating Stingel's exploration and demystification of his process over time.
Stingel's Instruction Paintings highlight his broader practice of engaging the viewer and redefining the boundaries of painting, sculpture, and installation art. By reducing his method to a reproducible formula, Stingel invites viewers to reconsider the notion of originality and the mystique of the artist's touch, making these works pivotal in understanding his contribution to contemporary art (Gagosian) (The Museum of Modern Art) (Art Market Monitor).