Art in Speedway: Larry Poons

Well, not really in Speedway, but back to the Canal

where the leaves floating on the dyed water made me think

of artist Larry Poons' op art paintings from the 1960's.

The golden leaves floated at different depths,

giving a similar effect as of his "Northern Grave,"

where the colors undulated front to back

on the red surface of the canvas.

Poons, who is now seventy-eight, was one of my

favorite artists when I was in art school.

His Op Art paintings teased my eyes; I loved the

way the vari-colored ovals were balanced and hovered

on the background color. The first one I recall

seeing was green. It just sang to me,

which shouldn't be a surprise because

Larry Poons first studied music at 

the New England Conservatory of Music

before deciding to become an artist.

Street Art: Minimalism

Long ago, the owners of an auto parts business 

on North Capitol Street painted over the glass block 

walls of their building. The blocks probably

replaced windows for security reasons while

still allowing light in the building.

Over the years, the blocks have been painted white

to keep passers-by from seeing the warehoused

parts. As the paint peeled, more coats were added

giving the surface even more texture. 

Pictures like these are easy to find.

Textures, patterns, and depth with just the right

bits of color are always around.

However, if one tried to create it purposely,

it's another matter altogether, one involving a clear

vision of one's intent and absolute understanding

of one's materials. I found a number of

paintings by Robert Ryman that illustrate this point. 

While called a "minimalist", his paintings 

are loaded with variations in tone and texture

that keep them lively and interesting.

Several years ago, one of his white paintings 

sold for $9.6 million. Next month,

Sotheby's is selling another of these paintings,

expecting it to bring $15/20 million.

Jean Dubuffet in Speedway

I was walking through a Speedway neighborhood 

a couple years ago when I noticed 

a driveway that had been repaired with slurry seal 

in a manner resembling the artwork 

of French Artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985).

Since then, it's as though the long-dead painter

has taken up summer residency here

to paint the streets and driveways with easy,

drippy strokes to form interesting

compositions on the grayed asphalt.

 Jean Dubuffet. l'Hourloupe. 1966. Ink on Paper