Year: 2022
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 201 x 155 cm (79 1/8 x 61 in.)
Acquired from Gagosian, 2022
Works created by spray guns can now be described as Grosse’s signature style. In this work, the artist places an ivy-like object on the canvas and then sprays it with colors. Like stencils or cyanotypes, the act of directly leaving traces of objects that have touched the painting surface is also supported by Grosse's previous works. By intensely spraying colors onto architecture and into spaces, Grosse's paintings have extended from a flat medium-like canvas into three-dimensional space. It has realized a physical immersion of the painting space for both the artist and the viewers. Grosse describes that painting is a screen between the viewers and the artist, where both parties can show their thoughts to each other. Painting serves as an interface for contemplation. Following this concept, the idea of painting as a screen does not necessarily have to be restricted by conventional paintings. Grosse chooses a new technique and form that is more suitable for the interaction between the artist and the viewers. In this work, the most assertive line elements in the composition are acquired through leaving traces, an almost non-painterly method. The misty colors create a vivid gradation by the angle and intensity of the spray. At the same time, the shadows of the lines are imprinted on the canvas. When those lines were torn away from the canvas, the paints were also torn off which then revealed as lively traces. This is different from painted lines. In the past, paintings were something that aimed to capture light widely in layers of paint. However, Grosse has left vivid shadows as traces in this work. Grosse stated that painting is a mutual exchange of thoughts. With that in mind, with the traces left in this work, what do we see and what thoughts should we share in return?
