Casualism (art)

An example of casualist painting: Amy Feldman,Goofy Gloom, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 79 x 79 inches

Casualism is a 21st-century trend in art which uses color, composition, and balance to produce works with an unusual rather than obviously visually appealing appearance.[1]

The term Casualism was coined in a 2011 essay which defined a new type of postminimalist painting that features a self-amused, anti-heroic style with an interest in off-kilter composition and impermanence.[1] These artists are interested in a studied, passive-aggressive irresoluteness that reflects wider insights about culture and society[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Many artists responded positively to the essay and embraced the notion of Casualism,[7][8][9][10][11] while others rejected the term, suggesting it whiffed of 'labelism' and 'crypto-institutionalism.[12][13][14] The Casualist tendency continues to inform much work and conversation around American abstract painting.[15][16][17][18]

Tatiana Berg, Joe Bradley, Sharon Butler, Amy Feldman, Keltie Ferris,[11] Beth Letain, Lauren Luloff, Chris Martin, Rebecca Morris, David Ostrowski, Cordy Ryman, Patricia Treib, Michael Voss, and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung are painters who work in a Casualist mode.[19][20][21]

In addition to Casualist, the term "Provisional[22]" has been used to describe paintings that might appear unfinished or incomplete; work that is intentionally awkward, physically fragile and unstable, that reject the display of conventional skills, or that discover beauty in unassuming materials.[15] However, Provisional painters, unlike the younger Casualists, suggest a kind of exhaustion, entertaining the impossibility of painting.[21][23][24] The older artists whose work is considered Provisional include Raoul De Keyser, Michael Krebber, Mary Heilmann, Albert Oehlen, Kimber Smith, Richard Tuttle and Christopher Wool.[3]

  1. ^ a b c Butler, Sharon L. (June 3, 2011). "ABSTRACT PAINTING: The New Casualists". brooklynrail.org. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference curatingcontemporary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Micchelli, Thomas (July 6, 2013). "Painting on the Cusp: Abstraction of the 1980s". hyperallergic.com. Archived from the original on 2013-08-07. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference instantloveland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Hurst, Howard (December 17, 2014). "Who Has the Cure for "Zombie Formalism"?". hyperallergic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Maine, Stephen (February 18, 2011). "The Incipient Image". lesleyheller.com. Retrieved Jan 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Micchelli, Thomas (June 29, 2013). "The New Casualists Strike Again". hyperallergic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  8. ^ Johnson, Elizabeth (Dec 26, 2013). "Sharon Butler's New Casualist paintings at The Painting Center in New York". artblog.org. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Fraser, Pamela; Rothman, Roger (Apr 6, 2017). Beyond Critique: Contemporary Art in Theory, Practice, and Instruction. USA: Bloomsbury Academic. p. 232. ISBN 978-1501323461.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ Westgeest, Helen (Sep 2019). "Looking at Painting as Watching Slow Video Art: An Intermedial Experience of Disruption in the Work of Corinne Wasmuht". ASAP/Journal. 4 (3). Johns Hopkins University Press: 556–69. doi:10.1353/asa.2019.0039. S2CID 213029526. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Bickel, Megan (December 2, 2018). "Keltie Ferris: *O*P*E*N* at the Speed Art Museum: Casualist Painting / Not-cAsual SetTing". Aequi.com. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Antonini, Marco; Ho, Christopher (2014). "NURTUREart". The Golden Age: Perspectives on Abstract Painting Today (PDF). CKH. ISBN 978-0980198546.
  13. ^ Antonini, Marco (Jan 15, 2016). "Revolution in (Re)Form: More Thoughts on Abstraction Today". temporaryartreview.com. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  14. ^ Boyd, Robert (March 2, 2014). "Questions About Casualism". thegreatgodpanisdead.com. Archived from the original on 2014-05-16. Retrieved Nov 1, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Geers, David (February 20, 2015). "Formal Affairs". Frieze.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  16. ^ Saft, Carol (Feb 13, 2020). "Monica King Contemporary panel with Jason Stopa, curator". vimeo.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Maliszewski, Lynn (Nov 5, 2014). "The Perks of being an outsider: Fred Gutzeit Signatures". brooklynrail.com. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  18. ^ "Nashville's Wedgewood-Houston Neighborhood Keeps it Casual". burnaway.org. 20 October 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  19. ^ Butler, Sharon (February 18, 2014). "The Casualist Tendency". twocoatsofpainting.com. Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  20. ^ Butler, Sharon (June 5, 2011). "The New Casualists". twocoatsofpaint.com. Two Coats of Paint. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Rubinstein, Raphael (May 4, 2011). ""Provisional Painting" at Modern Art". contemporaryartdaily.com. Contemporary Art Daily. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference provisionality was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Rubinstein, Raphael (May 1, 2009). "Provisional Painting". artnews.com. ArtNews. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  24. ^ Rubinstein, Raphael (February 3, 2012). "Provisional Painting Part 2: The Rest Lightly on the Earth". artnews.com. Art in America. Retrieved May 19, 2020.