Abstraction Today

French painter Bernard Frize believes that an artist should make as few decisions as possible, so he follows a strict set of self-imposed rules. Since the 1980s, he has used the same blend of acrylic paint and resin. He also restricts the colors he can use. “I always use the same eight colors,” he explains, “which give me so many possibilities and combinations that I don’t see why I should change them.”

Frize also gives himself a structure for each painting, such as a grid, as in his 2020 Uji, above. He drags the thick acrylic and resin mixture across the canvas with a wide brush. By having these constraints, Frize can leave the final painting up to chance. He says that one of his favorite things about painting is creating “an engine that runs by itself. One that no longer needs me.”

Bernard Frize is a French painter. He believes artists should make as few decisions as possible when they’re working. So he sets strict rules for himself. He always uses the same blend of acrylic paint and resin. He also limits his color choices. “I always use the same eight colors,” he explains. “[Those] give me so many possibilities and combinations that I don’t see why I should change them.”

Frize gives himself a structure for each painting. For his 2020 Uji, above, he works in a grid. Frize uses a wide brush to drag acrylic paint and resin across the canvas.

Frize starts with rules. But the final results are up to chance. One of his favorite things about painting is creating “an engine that runs by itself,” he says. “One that no longer needs me.”

Do you feel your pulse quicken as you watch shapes dance across the painting above? The luminous colors in Sarah Cain’s artwork vibrate like caffeine for the eyes. The Los Angeles-based artist doesn’t sketch before painting. “The way I paint is totally intuitive,” Cain says. “I sort of see it right before it’s going to happen, and I have to stay in a state where I’m open to seeing it.”

Cain completed the 2019 painting Mystic Glory on sheet music. An array of geometric shapes layered over playful squiggles in acrylic, gouache, and watercolor pop against the purple background. The composition might make you smile, but that’s not Cain’s goal. “I don’t set out to make happy paintings,” she explains. 

Through abstraction, Cain explores processes, like crafting and graffiti, that critics and historians have traditionally seen as beneath fine art. Molly Donovan, a curator at the National Gallery of Art, says the artist “brings the tradition of abstract painting into the present.” Compare Cain’s work with those featured on pages 2-9. What do you notice?

Look at the shapes dancing across the painting by Sarah Cain above. Do the colors energize you?

Cain lives in Los Angeles. She doesn’t sketch before making a painting. She trusts her instincts. “I sort of see it right before it’s going to happen, and I have to stay in a state where I’m open to seeing it.”

Cain painted her 2019 Mystic Glory on sheet music. The artist layers geometric shapes and playful squiggles. The colors pop against the purple background. This work might make you smile. But that’s not Cain’s goal. “I don’t set out to make happy paintings,” she explains.

Compare Cain’s painting with those shown on pages 2-9. What do you notice?