Pat Steir (American, b. 1940)
Kweilin Dreaming No. 44, 1989
Color woodblock print with handpainting 37 ½ x 42 ¾ in.
Pat Steir's work draws inspiration from both Eastern and Western artistic traditions. While initially aligned with the Conceptual and Minimalist art movements, Steir expanded her influences, borrowing from Buddhist and Taoist philosophy, Chinese “ink-splash painting,” and 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints. The ideas of non-intention and chance, championed by composer John Cage, also serve as a central tenet in her work.
By pouring paint onto a canvas and allowing gravity to complete the work, Steir incorporates the idea of randomness and highlights the performative nature of artmaking. In Steir's own words, "I want to show people ways of seeing, not only [how] artists see, but [how] artists see through time and place." A skilled printmaker since the 1970s, Steir has delved into etchings and lithographs, capturing subjects like waves, waterfalls, and trees.
Steir has taught art at Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, and the California Institute of the Arts. She is a founding board member of Printed Matter bookshop, a founding member of HERESIES: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics, and was on the editorial board of Semiotext(e), an independent journal of critical theory, philosophy, and art criticism. Steir has won several major awards, and her works are represented in private and public national and international collections.
More information on Pat Steir can be found here:
https://www.levygorvy.com/exhibitions/pat-steir/
https://paceprints.com/video/pat-steir-printmaking-painting-chance-and-beauty