This painting stands as a compelling work within the Color Field movement, but also deviates in intriguing ways. Executed with flat black tones, the composition creates an immediate visual tension through its distinct, non-rectangular shape. While most traditional canvases are rectangular, Canin opts for an irregular polygonal shape, setting his work apart structurally from many of his peers. This shape enhances the geometric rigor of the piece, making the viewer conscious of the painting’s form as much as its color.
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This painting stands as a compelling work within the Color Field movement, but also deviates in intriguing ways. Executed with flat black tones, the composition creates an immediate visual tension through its distinct, non-rectangular shape. While most traditional canvases are rectangular, Canin opts for an irregular polygonal shape, setting his work apart structurally from many of his peers. This shape enhances the geometric rigor of the piece, making the viewer conscious of the painting’s form as much as its color.
The title, "Black Begins", invites viewers to contemplate the origin or essence of black, perhaps suggesting that this is where color, or the lack thereof, commences. The stark black surface could symbolize the birth of potential or the starting point for further exploration, both metaphorically and visually. The slashing diagonal line through one section of the painting can be seen as a disruption in this "beginning," hinting at a deeper narrative of emergence or division.
The title also hints at black not as an endpoint, but as a point of departure, a concept that has been explored in modern art by artists like Reinhardt, who treated black as a culmination of all colors. Canin, however, seems to treat black as a beginning—a conceptual inversion that underscores his philosophical difference from other monochromatic artists.
Canin’s "Black Begins" echoes some of the aesthetics found in Color Field painting, particularly the use of a monochrome palette seen in Kelly’s minimalist work or Ad Reinhardt’s black paintings. However, while Reinhardt often explored subtle variations of black within a perfect square, Canin utilizes black as a dominating force, uninterrupted by any hue or gradation, reinforcing its stark presence.
The painting’s black surface, although flat and unmodulated, feels imbued with a quiet but forceful power, similar to Newman’s "zip" paintings where a single line disrupts vast fields of color. Yet, Canin breaks from his predecessors with the painting’s unconventional shape, introducing a dynamic energy to the flatness. This geometric departure evokes a sculptural quality, which distinguishes him from the more static compositions of Rothko or Reinhardt.
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