Painting Collection Sam Gilliam Beam American, 1933-2022 96 x 24 x 10 inches Gilliam's work expresses his fascination with structured improvisation. Here he creates vividly colored three-dimensional constructions of acrylic on birch plywood, often with collaged elements.The rigid surface allows him greater flexibility in cutting out and assembling shapes; these elements are sometimes attached to the larger composition with hinges, so they can be shown in a variety of positions. The paintings are nearly sculptural: they are intricate bas-reliefs that seem to cascade off the wall, with painted parts visible in many layers, sometimes through perforations in the outer surfaces. They are seemingly anarchic in form, suggestive of exuberant emotional experience, but still contained by the subtle interplay of simple geometries. These paintings are as complex technically as they are spatially. Gilliam begins by staining sheets of plywood with acrylic and polymer paints, sometimes in a gel medium that creates a translucent, almost glassy surface The sheets are then cut up and cut out: in the case of several of the works in this exhibition, the panels are sliced vertically into thirds and ovals of various sizes are cut into them. The parts are then hinged back together on either side of a stable center, creating wings in the manner of medieval altarpieces. In some instances, these elements come from a common source, but at others, the parts are selected from different plywood sheets. |
  
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