Object number2016.7
Snare
Date2015
Artist
Allison Miller
(American, born 1974)
CultureAmerican
MediumOil stick, acrylic, modeling paste and pencil on canvas
Dimensions73 x 68 in. (185.42 x 172.72 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, Luisa LaViola Fund for Contemporary Art
On View
On viewPeriod21st c
Classification(s)
Label TextLos Angeles-based painter Allison Miller’s paintings are in continuous dialogue with modes of abstraction from the gestural to the geometric. Employing masking tape and hint of irony, she combines hard-edged pattern, repetition, and layering to create dynamic, yet somewhat puzzling compositions. In "Snare," we see accidental drips of paint paired with deliberately painted trompe l’oeil drips, and loose, gestural brushstrokes alongside carefully painted lines that mimic the natural movement of a paintbrush. Within the large area of white ground, Miller adds dabs of white paint and curved pencil lines that don’t quite line up with the stepped pattern that dominates the composition. The shape of the white steps is repeated in a colorful outline and backed with diagonal bands of color ranging from pastel pink to bright orange. Such bold experiments with color, line, and form introduce an element of wonder and provoke questions about how Miller’s paintings are made and how new definitions of abstraction can be introduced.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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