Past Exhibition

John Cage: Rocks, Paper, Fire

The image includes circular shapes and brushstroke lines arranged in a seemingly random manner. The abstract composition features colors like blue, brown, red, and yellow, with some shapes resembling overlapping rings or loops. The scattered arrangement of elements may evoke a playful jumble of bubbles or soap suds. The soft, muted background contrasts with the defined, colorful shapes in the foreground, enhancing the abstract nature of the piece.
John Cage, Crown Point Press, 10 Stones 2, 1989, color spitbite aquatint and sugarlift on smoked Whatman paper, Gift of Kathan Brown, 1996.93.59

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Concourse Galleries
The image includes circular shapes and brushstroke lines arranged in a seemingly random manner. The abstract composition features colors like blue, brown, red, and yellow, with some shapes resembling overlapping rings or loops. The scattered arrangement of elements may evoke a playful jumble of bubbles or soap suds. The soft, muted background contrasts with the defined, colorful shapes in the foreground, enhancing the abstract nature of the piece.
John Cage, Crown Point Press, 10 Stones 2, 1989, color spitbite aquatint and sugarlift on smoked Whatman paper, Gift of Kathan Brown, 1996.93.59

Overview: An influential composer, writer, and artist, John Cage (1912–1992) devised complicated creative strategies that were dependent on chance outcomes dictated by the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of divination. Featuring six prints from the Gallery's collection, John Cage: Rocks, Paper, Fire explores his experimental approach to creating visual art. The selection of prints highlights Cage's unconventional utilization of fire as a printmaking medium and his systematic employment of stones as templates for tracing. By ceding key formal decisions to chance, Cage sought to avoid expressing personal taste and intention. His commitment to indeterminacy as a creative strategy proved to be a wellspring of beauty.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, to coincide with the John Cage Centennial Festival Washington, DC.

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