Black is a color – and not only since Henri Matisse's declaration in 1946. It is both negation and intensity, surface and depth. It traverses the history of art as a radical invariant: from Francisco Goya's "black paintings" to Frank Stella's "black paintings" and the magnificent works they inspired in American artists such as Christopher Wool, Steven Parrino, and Wade Guyton. Black also radiates into fashion, politics, and design. It is the color of rock countercultures, anarchism, and mourning, as much as of modern elegance, the "little black dress," and the "last" painting (from Kasimir Malevitch to Ad Reinhardt). It resonates in social and political movements, from "black blocs" to "black lives matter."
This workshop proposes a minimal gesture, accessible to all: choose an object (it) – an object, a surface, a garment, an image – and paint it black. A simple gesture, with multiple effects. What unfolds is both pictorial and critical: covering, saturating, concentrating. Painting steps out of its frame to question its status and function within diverse practices.
The workshop includes an introduction and historical perspectives, practical workshops, collective installation, and documentation.
Marieke Stolk, member of the Dutch graphic design trio Experimental Jetset, will accompany this workshop. In addition to the pictorial issues raised, she will bring her deep knowledge of graphic practices and alternative cultures, the foundation of her design work.
"Paint it black" is not just about painting. It is an exploration of intensities, relationships between objects and images, and connections between history, politics, and culture.
The workshop offers a minimal gesture, within reach of touch: choose something – an object, surface, garment, image – and paint it in black. Simple gesture, multiple effects. What is played with is as much pictorial as critical: covering, saturating, concentrating. The painting goes beyond its frame to question its status and role in various practices.
The evaluation is based on participation in the five days of the workshop and on the degree of active engagement of the participant-x.