Richard Anuszkiewicz (American, 1930-2020)

Richard Anuszkiewicz
(American, 1930-2020)
"Reflection IV-Red", 1979
hand-painted color silkscreen on masonite
signed, dated, annotated "H.C." and numbered "2/3", signed and dated en verso masonite,
partially visible gallery label.
Glazed and framed.
sight 79" x 46-1/2", framed 82" x 48"
The ideas I work with are essentially timeless ... Working with basic ideas will always be exciting, and if a color or form is visually exciting in any profound sense, it will be that way in 10 or 20 years from now.
- Richard Anuszkiewicz, 1977

A wunderkind of color theory, Richard Anuszkiewicz's pigments seem to hum, vibrate, radiate, and swell. He studied under the prominent Bauhaus artist and teacher, Josef Albers, at Yale in the 1950s, where he learned from Albers that the interactions of high-intensity hues and repetitious geometric compositions could produce optical and perceptual effects. However, Anuszkiewicz took his mentor's interest in geometric abstraction and color contrast even farther by presenting an exceptional range of tonal harmonies when he honed his increasingly meticulous vision in New York in the 1960s.

Apart from his skillful ability to bring color to life on the canvas, Anuszkiewicz also displayed a masterful command of line as a compositional tool. Altering the length, width, and spacing of lines allowed him to create illusory planes and structures, which playfully warped the perception of the viewer further. Incorporating these fantastical and psychedelic trompe-l'oeil effects into his work made him a pioneer of Op Art. Though the movement was short-lived, Anuszkiewicz never stopped pursuing his fascination with how some formal elements, such as color and line, could create powerful perceptual effects for the viewer.

As the years progressed, Anuszkiewicz's work became more meditative; throughout the 1970s, he began placing square and rectangular wood constructions in the center of his canvases with lines emanating from them. This is evident in Reflection IV-Red (1979), where the silkscreen appears to beam like a neon light due to the intense combination of hues, as well as the strategically placed lines. Despite the hard edges and repetition that had become key elements of his oeuvre, the radiating effect of the work seems to inspire a level of spirituality.

Over the course of his sixty-year-long career, Anuszkiewicz demonstrated an exceptional commitment to pure and precise abstraction. Though he dabbled with different shapes, forms, and mediums, he never strayed from his ultimate vision of creating a spiritual purity that he believed could only be found in the interactions of color and line. Anuszkiewicz's legacy continues the tradition of geometric, highly pigmented abstraction through the twentieth century, and into the twenty-first.
Condition Report: Generally, very good condition. Not examined out of plexiglass. Vibrant colors. In original gallery frame.

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