Rodney Carswell [b. 1946: Carmel, California]
encaustic on panel
77 1/2 by 60 inches
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Rodney Carswell’s committment to abstraction has remained unwavering through the years. His shift in attitude can be seen by comparing Off-Center Cross - White Divided with the other work by him included in this presentation, Measurement and Splatter Matter.
The strict geometry of Off-Center Cross - White Divided — the lush encaustic surface with its highly simplified color scheme (blue, white) and the arched format all serve to place emphasis on the facts of the painting — the painting is strictly about painting. Little outside allusion can be found.
Gone are the faux textures and humorous juxtapositions of illusionistic materials found in Measurement and Splatter Matter from seventeen years before. Here, Carswell has distilled his interest in making pictures to a severe geometry that has been softened via his choice of materials and techniques.