R. H. Quaytman
1961–
Since 2001 R. H. Quaytman has organized her paintings into “chapters” that are influenced by the place in which they are first displayed. Despite their varying subjects, certain principles remain constant across each series. Quaytman begins with wood panels cut to seven sizes based on the golden ratio (derived by multiplying the smaller dimension by 1.618). Then the artist bevels the edges of the panels to emphasize the picture plane, primes them with gesso, and silkscreens images— photographs, optical patterns, or both— onto their surfaces.
Quaytman conceived of Distracting Distance, Chapter 16 (K8 Hardy) specifically for the 2010 Whitney Biennial, deriving the compositional starting point from the Museum’s former building and permanent collection. The chapter’s central motif, the trapezoidal windows designed for the building by architect Marcel Breuer, recurs in several of the twenty-nine total panels. In addition, Quaytman restaged the Whitney’s Edward Hopper painting Woman in the Sun (1961), a canvas that features a nude figure standing in front of a bedroom window. Quaytman photographed fellow artist K8 Hardy in front of Breuer’s angular design, positioned in the profile pose assumed by the model in Hopper’s work. The resulting silkscreened images appear on several of the panels. “My idea,” Quaytman has explained, “was to set up a series of reflections between the viewer, the space and history of the Whitney, and American painting.” Each exhibition offers an opportunity for Quaytman to contribute a new chapter to an ongoing archive, a “book” that the artist has resolved to “continue without end.”
Introduction
R. H. Quaytman (born 1961) is an American contemporary artist, best known for paintings on wood panels, using abstract and photographic elements in site-specific "Chapters", now numbering 35. Each chapter is guided by architectural, historical and social characteristics of the original site. Since 2008, her work has been collected by a number of modern art museums. She is also an educator and author based in Connecticut.
Wikidata identifier
Q13560749
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed December 7, 2024.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, installation artist, painter
ULAN identifier
500294143
Names
R. H. Quaytman, Rebecca Quaytman, Rebecca Howe Quaytman
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed December 7, 2024.
