My first encounter with Robert Motherwell was far removed, unfolding in art history textbooks and lecture halls. My second encounter was more prolonged and intimate.
This task entails sketching out the contours of all known exhibitions and any published reference to the artist and his world. My colleagues and I were enmeshed in these questions and more, so many more questions , as we delved into the pleasures and frustrations of research. Others were found elsewhereβan installation photo in the Helen Frankenthaler Archives, or an exhibition review from , published in a newspaper from Eugene, Oregon.
We reconstruct a life full of starts and stops, triumphs, frustrations, public disagreements with fellow artists and critics, and ask how these moments add to our understanding of modern art. It is known to us only through a reproduction nestled within the pages of the magazine.
The drawing contains fields of varying shades of purples, interrupted by yellow and green forms. These washes of color reflect the continued presence of Mexico in his work, emphasizing the hold his recent stay there had on him. Despite this clear network of references, many details about this drawing raise unanswerable questions. Was it dedicated to Paalen or someone else in the DYN circle?
Does it still exist in the form illustrated in the magazine? Even its dimensions, one of the most basic elements of any object, are unknown. For researchers, the drawing is an exercise in humility. Here we encounter a never-ending list of unanswered questions surrounding the circumstances of the work.
