Description: Michael Eastman likes the idea of words on a painting. This work, "C4", shows how Eastman uses words, numbers and figures as abstract elements. Sometimes the words are just marks, but sometimes they enhance the meaning of the painting. View text detail. The latter tends to be true when the artist quotes a snippet of poetry. The quote: "birds descend and soon my friend there will be no time for dances" is from "The Sunlight on the Garden" a Louis MacNeice poem. This fragment of poetry began as a long blue mark on the canvas, then Eastman painted the line into letters and words. Eastman's handling of color and paint surface is always fascinating. View painting detail.|
Michael Eastman's paintings have a nice visual and conceptual complexity that takes time to apprehend. His works are not puzzles that snap into place, but they do reward the viewer who puzzles over them. Visit the Tribeca studio of Michael Eastman whose work is included in the collection of Hirshhorn Museum (Washington, DC) and the Mauntner-Markof Collection (Vienna, Austria).
View additional works by Michael Eastman.