Donald Martiny
Alanic, 2014, 45 x 55 inches (114 x 140 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
Martiny’s work is pure; it is painting at its most elemental, composed of a single medium, a single gesture, a single colour. Martiny sits in a line of tradition from Malevich to Rodchenko through Newman and Stella. But, this is paint and painting laid bare, off the canvas, and uncomplicated by storyline, personality, politics or even historical context. In Martiny’s hands, paint becomes structural. As such, his work becomes an expression of the power of the paint medium, and suggests possibilities for alternative use. Donald Martiny’s work forces us to question the established definitions which form the backbone of our understanding of painting as both a pursuit and a product, and of paint as a medium. In challenging the viewer in these ways, it is not only visually exciting but intellectually invigorating.
Weyto, 2014, 46 x 91 inches (117 x 2311 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
Lule II, 2014, 47 x 55 inches (119 x 140 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
"If paint can be structural, to what other ends might it be put? Would it be possible to build a habitable space with the medium? If so, would this still constitute a ‘painting’?"
Beothuk, 2015, 37 x 45 inches (94 x 114 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
Wasu, 2014, 55 x 45 inches (109 x 114 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
Togoyo, 2014, 43 x 68 inches (109 x 173 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
"His bold pieces drew my attention for their unique visual impact, which owes partly to their scale, but also to their daring focus on a single pigment."
Gafat, 2014, 26 x 42 inches (66 x 107 cm), polymer and pigment mounted on aluminum
Courtesy of the Artist
Donald Martiny
www.donaldmartiny.com
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