Rodney Carswell [b. 1946: Carmel, California]
acrylic on unprimed canvas
66 by 85 inches
Collection of the Illinois State Museum
Measurement and Splatter Matter is an example of a type of painting that emerged during the early 1970s which played on the viewer’s expectations of abstraction at that time. Essentially illusionistic abstraction, the work would, at first glance, seem to be an abstract composition.
As demonstrated in Carswell’s painting, upon closer inspection the viewer realizes that the “lattice” of color is made up of €wood lath,” long paint splatters, and other seemingly liquid elements. Carswell has continued to paint abstractly and over the years has adopted a severe, nearly Minimalist approach to his canvases. An example of Rodney Carswell’s more recent work can be seen in this exhibition by clicking on the image marked Off-Center in the gallery.