Charles Arnoldi: String Theory

This exhibition focuses on a series of paintings that Charles Arnoldi created between 2016-2019, titled “String Theory.” About Charles Arnoldi is now the elder statesman of West Coast painting. At 80 years old, he has a history of over 55 years of exhibitions worldwide, and a tapestry of works that trace the evolution of late modernist abstraction. Like some of his painter-colleagues, Ellsworth Kelly, Elizabeth Murray, Brice Marden, et al., Arnoldi has consistently explored formal concerns of line, shape and color in order to advance visual complexity and emotional resonance. This exhibition focuses on a series of paintings that Arnoldi created between 2016-2019, titled “String Theory.” While in Physics “String Theory” is an important research discipline, Arnoldi applied the series title due to the formal aspects of the paintings (although their complexity could surely be linked to physics in a future dissertation.) The ideas originated from a book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari where the author posits that humans developed unique cognitive abilities, including language and the capacity to imagine things that do not physically exist. For Arnoldi, the idea of using his arm and hand to translate fluid lines to canvas, akin to surrealist automatic drawing, produces an image that is at once direct and complex. As layers of linearity stratify, the residual human energy of the lines increases. While Jackson Pollock used his body to spread paint, Arnoldi uses the edges of the canvas as guard rails; the structure of the canvas restrains the pictorial energy into an elegant equilibrium. As this series progressed, within the linear intersections arose certain shapes that the artist filled with color. These forms were the result of human spontaneity, and make more sense, according to Arnoldi, than shapes made without the underlying artistic intervention. Almost Calder-like in their floating forms, Arnoldi’s “String Theory” paintings moved into a delicate balance of form and gesture that is the crux of successful abstraction. This important series of paintings marks Arnoldi’s continuing mastery of method and abstraction. Fred Hoffman wrote in his catalogue essay for the Busan Metropolitan Art Museum, “Early in his career, then, Arnoldi was able to assert his freedom from the ghost of repetition. This newfound independence thereby enabled the artist to more strongly identify himself with the commitment to invention witnessed in those masters who emerged as the New York School…” Indeed, abstraction was fostered on the East Coast after WWII, while their lessons in painterly emotion were intermingled with visions of Minimalism, Pop and subsequent artistic movements in Los Angeles. “String Theory” paintings are a remarkable achievement of synthesis and creativity. ABOUT THE ARTIST Over the course of his distinguished career, Arnoldi has received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and the LACMA New Talent Award. His work has been included in landmark exhibitions such as Documenta V in Kassel and the Whitney Biennial, as well as exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His paintings and sculptures are represented in the permanent collections of many of the world’s leading museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, among others. ABOUT MICHAEL KOHN GALLERY Since its establishment in 1985 by Michael Kohn, Michael Kohn Gallery has presented historically significant exhibitions in Los Angeles alongside exciting contemporary artists, creating meaningful contexts to establish links to a greater art historical continuum. Michael Kohn Gallery represents important West Coast artists with long careers and rich histories such as Lita Albuquerque, Charles Arnoldi and Sharon Ellis, as well as the Estates of Bruce Conner, Wallace Berman, Joe Goode and Martha Alf. Michael Kohn Gallery boasts an expanding roster of emerging and mid-career artists including William Brickel, Alicia Adamerovich, Chiffon Thomas, Heidi Hahn, Jinbin Chen, Nir Hod, Siji Krishnan, Li Hei Di, Sophia Narrett, Shiwen Wang, Rosa Loy, and Mark Innerst. Visit kohngallery.com for the latest information on upcoming exhibitions. Read more Toggle Painting