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SATURDAY EVENING POST
March 23rd, 2024
Robert Kelly's work is an expression in juxtapositions, harmonizing the rigid with the fluid, the ancient with the modern, the deliberate with the spontaneous. His paintings are a career-long dedication to surface craftsmanship and a meticulous approach to composition. Born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1956, Kelly's pursuit of art took a definitive form following his graduation from Harvard University in 1978, a period that saw him develop a profound appreciation for the structural disciplines of the Bauhaus movement, the dynamic geometries of De Stijl, and the textural innovations of artists like Schwitters and Klee. His Harvard education provided him with a foundation that would profoundly influence his artistic endeavours, grounding his work in a rich academic and cultural milieu.
ABOVE IMAGE:
ROBERT KELLY, Antiquary, 2002, Oil on canvas, 80 x 64 in. Work available in the gallery, please inquire.
Robert Kelly’s artistic philosophy is anchored in the essence of pure abstraction, where the evolution of painting is a natural process rather than a controlled one. "It's not my intention to depict something; rather, I aim to create a space where the painting can evolve into its own entity." He utilizes carious techniques – collage, drawing, painting, and glazing, each applied with a layered complexity that forms intricate compositions and delicate details. Kelly creates his collages often with his collection of found materials — paper ephemera like postcards, letters, posters, and prints — which he arranges in a 'wet on wet' technique upon the canvas. These materials, sourced from his extensive travels, are not just relics of the past but become the groundwork for his visual narratives. By rubbing finely ground ash into the paint surface, Kelly induces a sense of the ancient, bestowing upon his works an aura of elapsed time and resonant history. Kelly then applies a thick oil pigment upon the layered surface, enhancing the fragmented quality of the collage beneath. Kelly's work is characterized by a delicate balance of erudition and emotion, and they are puzzles, as Kelly himself suggests, not just in their composition but also in their ability to engage the viewer in a process of unravelling and interpretation.
ABOVE IMAGES:
ROBERT KELLY, Voices in the Garden XXXI, 1999, Oil on canvas, 20 x 15 in.
ROBERT KELLY, Shebia Rug II, 1994, Oil on canvas, 80 x 60 in.
Installation view of Shebia Rug II at Art Toronto 2023, shown with work by Arno Kortschot and Thom Mayne.
Works available in the gallery, please inquire.
Central to Kelly’s work is the concept of duality — mirroring, contrasting, and challenging. This is not just a thematic exploration but a structural one, where images and forms reflect and contradict each other, creating a visual tension that is both challenging and rewarding to the viewer. This duality is also an expansion of his personal growth and his relationship with his twin brother Thomas Kelly, a photojournalist, who provides a literal counterpoint to Robert's abstraction. While Robert uses line and form to suggest spirit and essence, Thomas captures the human spirit in more recognizable forms.
ABOVE IMAGES:
ROBERT KELLY, Shebia Rug XV, Mimesis Noir II, Mimesis Noir VII, The Pearl Diver
In Kelly’s repertoire, black pigment holds significant importance, symbolizing both the assertive power and the absolute finality that it has represented throughout art history, harkening back to the iconic 'Black Square' by Kazimir Malevich. The interplay of black and the natural tone of 'bone' on his canvases suggests the interplay of opposites, reflecting the inversion and introspection present in his forms. This meticulous and systematic approach to art is reminiscent of the Russian Constructivists, particularly Malevich, and echoes the stylistic tendencies of the De Stijl movement spearheaded by Piet Mondrian. Moreover, Kelly’s work is in dialogue with the simplified yet profound practices of Jean Arp, Richard Diebenkorn, and Ellsworth Kelly, artists renowned for their mastery over the elemental forms of line and shape. Much like his physical layering of materials, Kelly overlays historical and contemporary artistic influences, crafting work that resonates with clarity and a sense of the inevitable progression of abstract art.
ROBERT KELLY, Voting Day in Nepal, 1992, Oil on linen, 20 x 14 in.
Work available in the gallery, please inquire.
Through his art, Kelly engages in a profound dialogue with the giants of abstraction—Arp, Stout, Smith, Brancusi, Calder, and Ellsworth Kelly. His engagement with their legacy is not merely imitative but is a continuation and expansion of their interrogation of form and space. In the company of these greats, Kelly has indeed carved out a niche of his own, offering a body of work that is both a study and a statement, a reflection and a manifesto.
Robert Kelly has exhibited nationally and internationally since 1983. His work is included in many public and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, Milwaukee Art Museum, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, and The McNay Art Museum.
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