So I’ve been thinking about artists who are interesting to me and have guided me through formative times in my art viewing, so below is a list – really a begining of a list as this changes almost daily or hourly.<\/p>\n
Neal Jenny:<\/b> in particular “the bad paintings”
Anselm Keifer:<\/b> While attending the Greman expressionist show at the Corcoran in 1985, Bernard Welt leans over my shoulder after looking at a painting covered with hay and says “Thats what I call color field painting.”
Jasper Johns:<\/b> Say what you will about his later work and his “canonization” of being the best post-war painter ever, it’s probably true.
Ed Ruscha:<\/b> How can anyone be as cool as his work?
Robert Mangold:<\/b> his precision and color work is amazing
Robert Ryman:<\/b> his simple engineering or re-enginerring of the painting continues to be interesting to me – I’m less concerned about the reductive qualities of the work as I am the possiblities of where else he could possibly take this work.
Stuart Davis:<\/b> Because there are days where I think he is responible for any new approach to painting in the last 50 years.
Gene Davis:<\/b> Because he was local, because he made some really smart paintings that are quoted still.<\/p>\n
However one thing that most of these artists share is a simplicity and power to the work they do – I wouldn’t dare call them minimalists (except for the ones that are) but they share (for the most part) a stripped down approach to subject matter and presentation.<\/p>\n