ART-PRESENTATION: Rachel Howard-Paintings of Violence
The work of Rachel Howard navigates the space between the abstract and the figurative, with paintings that explore the fragility of the human condition and the complexity of the emotional spectrum, from suicide and mental illness to joy and sensuality. In the 1990s, she was Damien Hirst’s first assistant and his best spot painter and today she’s one of the best British artists.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: MASS MoCA Archive
Rachel Howard Rachel Howard continues her research on religion, death and violence with “Paintings of Violence (Why I am not a mere Christian)” (2011-16), a single installation comprised of ten paintings and one sculpture, in relationship to the sculptural assembly, “Lightning with Stag in its Glare”, by Joseph Beuys. In her work, Howard examines religion, mortality, and violence, specifically the more subtle kinds of “controlled violence” that are meticulously planned and calmly executed. The title is taken from two opposing polemics, “Why I Am Not a Christian” by Bertrand Russell and “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. Over a period of five years, from 2011 to 2016, Howard methodically developed this suite of ten paintings, the dimensions of each mirroring the artist’s height and arm span, the works were first shown at Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma in late 2016. A T-square (its form reminiscent of a disproportioned crucifix ) steadies the artist’s hand as rich blood-red paint is dragged downwards, staining the luminous pink surface dark crimson. This process is then repeated; placing, slicing, swiping, and wiping. Finally, towels used to clean the T-square are folded and placed on the plinth, as evidence of the aftermath. Howard has referred to acts of violence planned on a scale that overwhelms; these threats to the stability of everyday life she describes as “…not about a bacchanalian violence, but rather the acts of a steady calm hand on a greater scale: maximum damage, planned and calmly carried out; hence the slow slice through the alizarin crimson oil paint, exposing the fluorescent beneath, raw and defenseless, the repetition of canvas after canvas, the same but different”. The opposing aspects of certainty and uncertainty are expressed in Howard’s paintings through a tension that she creates between the subject matter and the physicality of her process. Often working on four or five pieces simultaneously, she applies her colours, lets them rest, then disturbs them with solvents, varnishes, or successive layers of paint, a process she refers to as ‘unpicking’ the painting – a push and pull between control and relinquishing control. The opposing aspects of certainty and uncertainty are expressed in Howard’s paintings through a tension that she creates between the subject matter and the physicality of her process. Often working on four or five pieces simultaneously, she applies her colours, lets them rest, then disturbs them with solvents, varnishes, or successive layers of paint, a process she refers to as ‘unpicking’ the painting – a push and pull between control and relinquishing control.
Info: MASS MoCA, 040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA, Duration: 17/2/18- , Days & Hours: Mon & Wed-Sun 11:00-17:00, http://massmoca.org
