Masterclass: Color Opens at Manes

Among the fine teachers of color in our time in the show are local heroes Stan Brodsky, Frank Olt and Jessica Cannon. From gouache to enamel, oil, printer’s inks, encaustic and acrylic, the exhibition brandishes a spectrum of media. 

Sol LeWitt’s exquisitely braided exploration in gouache of the interaction of color is straight out of Albers. By contrast, James Rosenquist is prepared to sacrifice what he rejected as the “purity” of color for the “clarity” of what he called “painting below zero.” Charlie Clough (who is out to “break color”) has a hot hand, more closely related to Hofmann than the cool eye of Albers. 

The elusive consensus on color is sometimes attributed to cultural differences, but consider Cao Jun, who is aware that his palette is far from Chinese traditional grisaille.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.