OQUING WIUUYILS Ul contemporary paintings in the hope that analogies to architecture might be drawn.... Prologue From the smallest dimension tothe largest and across evry order of magnitude without exception, matter organizes into inverts Nthing is unewolved, thre is nething outside of involvement. end al ivolvecents ae themeeives Involved. Stars, species and disciplines re involvements, and galaxies, ecologls and cultures ae involvements of involvements. Involvements ental ikenessos, ferencos and ‘xchenge lations they avove, an, though ‘are cach behaves dcrooty and roliay, Aliceration ad relay ace manors, not tes. Ths, e8 prologue to any discussion of diccplines | would say of matter and its lnyolvements thet s rots galexios and star systems, so vets chemstrlesand physics, sparelts ecologies and species, and o ae its cults ard seplines. But hen | must azo reiterate that galales,chomistroa, eclogioe, And eltures eral eo involved with one another, From Pleasure to Concept “The presumption of our contemporary cultura discouree Is that each of our disciplines has ‘moved bayond the herizon delimited by ts founding plasure principla, a passage paralioled inthe setences as each ot its dicipines moved beyond it founding observational intultion, 1g, mechanics eurpassing the horizon of Newtonian eartint. In palting, fr example the path beyond pleasure is mapped in arms of an evaltion from beauty and versilitude to Intoreat to interexotation to concept, or a8 Jasper otis putt past “retinal boundaries. into. Feld where language, thought nd vision at upon ‘one another” Solt-ccnsciousness, indicted inthe as such and elaborated ir inteeal discourses, rom these migrations beyond ploasure Paintarstaik to each other ofcourse, buttho conversations that cecur among paintings ‘ere much more interesting. For one thin, palntings ca iva much longer than poopie, “Tnovgh th journey of each dsepline Beyond pleasure principle to conceptual principle has its ‘our historical particuare, from the perepoctive of deeper processes tho journey belengs to cur ‘uege to power over matter wich sto say none ‘other then matte’ will to power ove ise, which 's to say nonscother than the lust for more eects Power and etfcts are conjugate; nether exists Without the ethan, though we must seve to ental thom toward purpoco they constitute end In thomaolvos In peinting, an ancient and interminable rol aver sspinary autonomy ad bythe 140s been re-formulatod by Clamant Groenberg from an ‘exercga in classifiation tan historical miton Greenberg and his fllowors posed *modium specifiy" ae pintng’s only maans to resist the dovaluing effects of mess production and ‘consumption: ‘Tho essence of moderna os in tha uso of the characteristic methods of a ctcpline tocrtcie the discipline tee act inarder to subvert but in order toentrenc il mere Femi inti area of competence, Modernist used arto cal attention tart. The iations {tat constitute tre medium ct pining the fat surface he sho of the support, the propertio of tho pigment -came tobe regarded as posite factors, ‘Arguad in terms of characteristic methods and ‘constitutive materials, Geonberg's medium spociiity retained tho philsphica irctination toconstrictcategotes on the basa of oxsonces, ‘Long before post-s-uctralism pulled the plug ‘onerguments in essence, however, Greenberg's defensive battement against mass cufture began to burst rom within, unable to gia neithar art's insatiable appatites no ts congenital alifiultios with authority Ultinatly, tho deconstruction ofthe arguments that legitimized ‘and regulated disciplinary boundaries, widely Interprted as afnal impeachment of disciplines 2 such, ifltrated the parochial retutations ‘f Groonborg's medium specifiy and a inal ‘low was eal o painting qua painting, or soit seemed. Every boundary bacame «permeable membran ‘8 pop culture began to mingle with high, the diseraetpractcos of painting and sculpture and arhitecture succumbed ta ménages and ‘mongrals of every crt Naverthelas, an ambition for arta euch to resist consumption persisted. ‘Thus dil conjectural at practices find new resiliance inthe rogime ofthe Conceptual, Digciptnes, methods and techalques, materia, histories, judgments or affects, none nald ground 29 constitutive in its ove ight. The apotheosis ‘farts cultural practice had become the stantiatod in any particular material construction; theless obfuscated by material istractions the better heJeffrey Kipnis its on fy paintings hat analogies ire might be formation of dscipins as such and elaborated in the evolution of thr internal discourses, | 5 Isinexricable from these migrations beyond ot pleasure. Painters tlcto wach other, of sours ves butte conversations that accur among paintings are much mor intersting, For one thing, Paintings can live much lnger than people xd Though tho journey of ach discipine beyond pleasure principle to conceptual principle has its ‘own historical particular, fom the perspective ot deeper processes, the journey belong fo our urge to power over mtar, which sto sey none ‘ther than matter’ wile power ove ise which sto say none other than the lust for more effects, Power an effects are conjugate; nlther exists 5 without the other And though we must strive to ental hem toward purpose, they constitute onde In themselves In painting, an anciontand interminable cil over Aisciptnary autonomy had bythe 1960s been Fe-formulated by Clement Greentarg from an ‘exercise in classification toan historical mission, Greantera an his followers posed "me specificity" as painting's only means toreist the devaluing efects cl mass production and the charecterstc methods of a cscpling tinorce to enirench it mora ical attontion toa. The linitetions per that contitut the mesium of painting helt surface, the shape of he support, ‘Argued in terms of characteristic methods and constitutive materials, Greenberg's mecivm specificity retained the philosophical inclination to construct categories onthe bass of essences. Long betorepost-sructuralism puted the plug (on arguments in essence, however, Greenborg's Aetensivo bartlement against mass culture began to burst rom within, unable to girdle neither ats insatiable appetites nor its congenital Aiffcutios with athority Ultimately, the deconstruction of the argument that legtimized and regulated disciplinry boundaries, widely interpreted as. final impoachmentofeicipines as such, inflated the parochial efuations ‘of Groonbero's medium specifiy and a final Bow was dealt to painting qua panting, or soit Evory boundary became a permeable membrane; 88 pop eulture began to mingle with high the Aisreet practices of painting and scuptire tnd archtacture succumbed te ménagos and rmongrels of every sort Noverthelees, an emition fort ae oven to raiet consumption persisted resilience inthe regime of the Conceptual Disciplines, methods end tecniques, materials stories, jodgments a affects, none held ground as constitutive init own right The apotheosis fart as cultural practice had become tho idoa instantiated in any particular materiel construction; tho lass obfusceted ty material distractions, the better, 7 Rrpsiteere am cet2B setreyKipnis The Conceptual Principle Working inThe Hague, Philp Akkerman paints nothing but so-porrats, ove ater another, year after year Me poses ina mito, works typically ‘though not exclusively, witha process formalized inthe Renaissance, and “when the complete surface fled up wih pir when thre is rowhite spt sible ary mer, the panting = ‘ished "I dont care abou good and bad," he says, "because what 000 or bad?” (Fascinated [sited a galley with a thug te buy, bt when | gotthere Yroze Should I buy ono, ote or en oF ‘must uy evry oe inthe show, cr even everyone that exists? How do choose an Akerman? My favorita? At random? Should | pick the one find most —___? (beautiful interesting, dull ypcal nuscal repulsive, cringing), Infact what is en Akherman? His paintings and his art arg net the same; they are not the ‘same matter, though each cats inthe same matorals Engaged ina chesky discussion with the history of Dutch sa portraitue, his work opens other calogues, mos: cbviusly with Cindy ‘Sherman's sot e-contertuslizeions. Though ‘Sherman's inaugural Untitled Fim Stile situated hee wee irstin photography, work suchas the recent Clownshas crossed over deciivay into painting, though till made wth camera and lm ‘atactimony tothe fact the disciplines are better delimited bythe effects her study ang produce than by the matrils they use, At orater stance, Akkerman’s work speaks with th serialized portraits of Warhol, Richter and Golub and with othr istime works such as JocotAlbor' Homages othe Square or On Kawara's Today Series, better known a the Dale Paintings. In these, Kwara paints the date ofthe ‘ay ofthe painting's execution on a monccrrome fel, using th language and calendar convention ofthe ety in which the itinerant ait happens to be painting on that particular day, Both Akkerman land Kawara vee methodical approsch, one that permits some improvistory character but ‘ules pictorial indulgonce In favor of concent, anatliude towara art makita that has, ints ‘exaggerations of imtations come ta be ealeg rule-based. kay diference between these. two bodies of works the means by which each onetruct tho rlationship between panting as anhistorialysal-conscious discipline nd the conceptual ambition ofthe at, Kamara asserts te priory ofthe conceptual Droject over its csciplinary legacy Without entirely eracesting tho rola painting inthe Dates, ho noverthelose subordinates painting toconcept Concepts the subject matter of ‘each painting and eachis an icon proclaiming eA x 48 Netra) Tal Some thoughts on contamporary paintings in the hop ‘architects might be drawn the priority the concopt Whether arnt On Kevtars ones anything to Jose Albers, the Dale paintings owe much to Homages to Squares Like cobra and mongoose the Homages and the Dates ere locked together in contest, the sills ofthe one so honed against the strenaths of heather hat. n the end they Become but uo parts ofthe same involvement, Anticipating Greonberg, the Homages isolate and extol the proportios of pigment.” thet is, color nota deal abstraction or pure sensation, but as pln's Infinitely nuanced material coir faculty. Quoled Into servtuce every other possible festure othe painting - canvas, composition, et, stroke, gure, relerence - join nto arapeiive mantra intoned ony to intensity the color etect “That foot sives in each canvas for auch immodiacy of presence as to standout ofthe reach ofindiation, of comparison, of judgment of thought itsell The proliferation othe Homages Felnforces the reducible, auratic singularity of lech paiting. Indeed the achievement of Albers repetitions isto cause the treed of kanes that affiliates the Homagos to dieeolvo a each register sol as abeoiute “The Date panting, to, appeal to acute restraint and to the infinitely nuanced colr faculty of pln. ‘The poments ofthe background monochrome In aach Date ar mised anew by the artist and thus ptint color constitutes the major point o imprevisetion in each work But here hard edges of paint do not conetructanintermingble drone of squares, but werds and numbers, that 5 those figures whose intanse powers ae twofold Admiting of nothing intrinsically sensible Fetering to nothing meaningtul, ates ike numerical sequences, are those figures thet roduc an effect of abtraction far more powerful ‘than any non-objectve figure or indenical mark Like words, datas transform seeing ito reading they anspor the viewer elsewhere, away from the presence of page or canvas to foposcuranos. The barely palpable specifity ofthe painterly improvisation inaDateisteampled tothe {threshold of oblivion bythe spacitying afoct of ddonaturod serial infermation, whose particular howror seems to belong tothe 20 eanury, ‘A Date, the, born trom the talents of pat, ‘nmiilates painting. The abject genius of hese works Ist keep the siipline of panting alive, iby theeae, by submitting ¢ painting to ritual Sueide everyday Tho artist even provides @ casket fr the carcass, a wooden bo, ined nith newspaper clippings or other memorabilia from the day. No other panting so captures the despars ofa discipline thinking seta the brink and the empty numb that is today the atfct of 29 tag ote an ict byw prin Be aa on sha aise den the Pal Can ict ote roc betv Ales tke the ieee Cie ther forr