SYMPOSIUM
What is the role of painting within today's visual culture? Or rather, why are paintings
still being made? Is painting's mental picture always relevant?
In order to answer these questions, one should explore first of all the current ontological status of "painting as
an art." What are the present conditions for a painting to be defined as a painting?
How are the boundaries of the painterly domain being established?
For ten years, art critic Robert Hughes was still able to restrict himself to the following
definition: "Painting is exactly what mass visual media are not: a way of specific
engagement, not of general seduction." In the 1990s, however, it became obvious that
painting could assimilate any other medium without any problem. In addition, more and
more sculptures and installations have emerged with a primary painterly character.
Could one conclude from this that other media could be explored through the pictorial
as a reflexive detour, presenting distance as opposed to immediacy? And if so, does
this mean, then, that the way one perceives art is still (paradigmatically) defined by
painting?
In many theoretical (aesthetic) surveys, it is indeed true that one naturally departs
from the figure of painting. However, the question is whether, in the practice of art,
the presence of painting as tradition, attitude, art-historical reference, sign system,
mode of recognition, representation and exemplification is in fact still as natural.
These questions were the point of departure for the exhibition and a symposium (Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten/Research in the Visual Arts. Sarphatistraat 470, Amsterdam, March 17, 2000.
With: Carel Blotkamp, Ferdinand van Dieten, Benoît Hermans, Frank Reijnders,
Jeroen Stumpel and Luc Tuymans.
PUBLICATION
The texts of the symposium are published by Gestions des Images in the book "Persistence of Painting". The publication contains full-color images of the exhibition and the texts of all six speakers. The preliminary premises are written by Annette W. Balkema and Henk Slager. To order this book, or for more info, please mail to:
the gallery see contact