John Baldessari (American, 1931-2020)
Overlap Series: Double Motorcyclists and Landscape (Icelandic 2003), 2003
Lithograph 29 ½ x 28 in.
Three Colors (with Horse Ascending), from the portfolio Hegel's Cellar, 1986
Photogravure etching and spitbite aquatint with soft-ground, sanding 30 x 20 in.
Boat (with Figure Standing), from the portfolio Hegel's Cellar, 1986
Photogravure and etching 28 x 20 1/4 in.
Cavalry, from the portfolio Hegel's Cellar, 1986
Photogravure, aquatint, spitbite, soft-ground etching, and drypoint sanding 30 x 22 in.
Two Horses and Rider (w / Blue Parrot), 1997
Lithograph 17 ¾ x 25 in. (Two Horses and Rider) 7 ½ x 7 3/8 in. (Blue Parrot)
California conceptual artist John Baldessari utilizes existing photographs as source material to comment on contemporary image-making and culture. By removing the faces of his figures, Baldessari encourages viewers to explore beyond the central focus of the image. “If you can’t see their face, you’re going to look at how they’re dressed, maybe their stance, their surroundings. I think you really sort of dig beneath the surface, and you can see what that photograph is really about, what's going on," says Baldessari. In doing so, he underscores the vital role of peripheral elements and emphasizes the importance of contextual relationships in communicating meaning.
Baldessari’s impact on the West Coast art scene has been profound, and his extensive teaching career at CalArts and UCLA played a crucial role in shaping the development of prominent artists including David Salle, Mike Kelley, Tony Oursler, James Welling, Meg Cranston, Liz Larner and Mungo Thomson.
Baldessari’s work can be found in the permanent collections of most major national and international museums.
More information on John Baldessari can be found here:
https://art21.org/artist/john-baldessari/
https://eastofborneo.org/articles/john-baldessari-cut-to-the-chase/