Painted around 1936, Matter created this focused composition in four colors, red, green, black, and white. Revealing her influence of studying with Hans Hofmann, Mercedes references that of a still...
Painted around 1936, Matter created this focused composition in four colors, red, green, black, and white. Revealing her influence of studying with Hans Hofmann, Mercedes references that of a still life on top of a table, using objects from life as a way into her abstract painting. While some of the lines and shapes still suggest some depth of space, Matter omits a variation of values, flattening out each color block, and making what starts out as a still life an abstract composition of forms. A rebellious personality, Matter expresses what she would continue to come back to in this gem of a painting from her early career.
Mercedes Mater: A Retrospective, The Miskin Gallery, Baruch College, New York, October 29 – December 14, 2009; The Weisman Museum, Pepperdine, California, January 23 - April 4, 2010; Guild Hall, East Hampton, New York, June 18 - August 1, 2010; The Figge Museum, Davenport, Iowa, September 4, 2010 - January 2 2011