On My Approach to Making Paintings in Black and White

Leonardo, Vol. 10, pp. 301- 302. Pergamon Press 1977. Printed in Great Britain ON MY APPROACH TO MAKING PAINTINGS IN BLACK AND WHITE Joan B. Altabe* I have made abstract-expressionistic paintings in which hue is the most predominant characteristic. But in my figurative work, I have emphasized dark and light, by painting mostly in hueless grays, black and white and sometimes only in black and white. I find that the elimination of hue permits me to concentrate more intensely on what I want to communicate. I approach the composition of these paintings in the same manner that I employ when using colors ofdifferent hue, giving consideration to the pattern, balance, asymmetry and rhythm. Furthermore, when I deal with a figurative subject, I usually choose the light and the dark values as though it were nonfigurative, which permits me more freely to make changes according to my judgement of the requirements of an aesthetically satisfying work. I strive to alternate highlights and shadows to produce more interesting patterns. At first I used this approach in paintings of one or two persons (Figs. I & 2) [I]. but later in those of groups of people (Fig. 3) and of landscapes. The technique I use involves coating the smooth surface of Masonite (previously sized with gesso) with black acrylic paint and applying white acrylic paint to the dry surface to 'reveal' the image. I say 'reveal' because I liken the technique to that of directing the lighting for a stage performance, illuminating only what I wish to be Fig. I. 'In Hope', acrylic on Masonite, 120 x 60 cm, 1969. *Artist, 421 West Olive St., Long Beach, NY 11561, U.S.A. (Received 29 Nov. 1976) 301 taken as significant. If necessary I 'dim the lights' by adding more black paint. The black pigment is Mars black, according to R. Fabri, 'the best available black in polymers' [2]. It looks like ivory black, but it is prepared from synthetic, uniform, fully permanent iron oxide. Lamp black is not suitable, because it does not have good covering power. The white pigment is titanium oxide, 'the most powerful as well as the most permanent white known today' [2]. The best way I have found to study light and shadow in a scene is to examine a black and white photograph of it. Thus, when I select a subject, I obtain a photograph of it. Fig. 2. 'Two ', acrylic on Masonite, 120 x 60 cm, 1970. Fig. 3. 'Freedom', acrylic on Masonite, 51 x 203 cm, 1975. 302 Joan B. A/tabe But in the process of painting I depart from the photographic image by reducing detail, intensifying the light values and modifying the elements portrayed. To depict interesting shadows, I sometimes consider the light to come from imagined sources. Rembrandt's works illustrate the types ofeffects I try to produce. In his work, light seems to come from beyond the picture plane or even from within the subject itself. Sometimes the light illuminates unexpected forms, making the work particularly intriguing [2, p. 151]. It seems ironic that when photography was invented some painters feared that painting had lost its artistic role. It is now widely understood that this is not so; for example, my pictures are distinctly different from those that can be produced by a photograph\:r. Nevertheless, I believe that there is a relationship between my paintings and the black and white images one sees in photographs and on cinema and television screens. Perhaps these kinds of images have led me to black and white paintings. References I. J. Altabe, Fine Arts Discovery Magazine (Summer, 1970) cover. 2. F. Fabri, Color (New York: Watson - Guptill, 1970) p. 105. ...