Christopher Wool

 

As Barthe has stated throughout Image-Music-Text the inclusion of a linguistic message through text/symbols in a work is typically intended to be polysemous, attaching the floated chain of signifieds. Christopher wool uses text to do just the opposite though. He breaks up the linguistic messages in his pieces causing detachments in the chain of signifieds and does this in order to test the boundaries of abstraction. By actively distorting the once direct meaning of recognizable, postmodern texts, symbols, expressionist painting techniques, etc. he rids their possession of context. Doing this he makes the viewer question not only his intentions of including them but on a greater scale, what the intentions of abstract art can be. There is no hidden message besides that question. Even he himself states that, “I think of myself primarily as an abstract painter, but I find that in making paintings there is a little bit of investigation into what abstract painting can be”.

Being immersed in the underground film, art and music scenes during his college years he was introduced to graffiti and its attempt to output and re-represent pop-culture and symbols from mass media that are inputted on the community. I believe this is where his inspiration to use recognizable imagery in an abstract manner inherently derived from. I mean his persona even resembles that of a graffiti artist as he lays low and does not let his ego take any of the work’s shine. In a way I think the totality of his art perfectly symbolizes the practice of graffiti in a more pure simplified and pristine manner.

After learning about Wools work I have more of an appreciation for what it stands for. I believe the one factor that sets it apart and gives it such great value is its alarming presence of curiosity. Not only is curiosity what drives its creation, but it is what’s emitted to everyone who witnesses it. In fact, I chose to research Christopher Wool for the very reason of being curious about what it stood for and why it has received such high praise. Now have I quenched my curiosity for how his works sell for over twenty million dollars apiece, nope, don’t think I ever will. But nevertheless, it just adds to the fact that people will go to great lengths to find understanding in the world around us and that Christopher Wools career as an artist is a testament to that.