Description:
Writhing and expressive marks dance between straight and narrow lines that form and deconstruct, encapsulate and release, a soft white expanse and its inky black surrounds. Characteristic of painter Jake Berthot, the vertical composition is thickly worked, emotive yet simplistic like the Abstract Expressionists who inspired his work. Open in his appreciation for Mark Rothko and Milton Resnick, Berthot’s paintings achieve a similarly eloquent and atmospheric quality.

Despite his fresh approach to abstraction, when asked about his work, Berthot stated that he was “not interested in the new but in trying to make paintings that refuse to grow old.” Untitled is such an exercise, as dry and aqueous brushstrokes open up onto a monochromatic portal of infinite possibilities. The painting holds space and is indeed unfettered by time (SSW).

Tags:
grids; poetry; abstract; monochrome

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=MH+1995.1

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.