A record of an exhibition of painting entitled ENTROPY with a corollary statement by Matthew W. Robinson


1.

Modern society created for itself a self-congratulatory myth, the myth of “progress”… To
lose one’s faith in progress, one has only to look around and see the devastation of our
environment, the spread of nuclear weapons, the excessive frequency of depression, anxiety
disorders, and psychological stress, the spiritual emptiness of a society that nourished itself
principally on television and computer games…” -Dr. Theodore J. Kaczynsky. 1

2.

I am narrating a backwards system, a non-functioning system, in which the symptoms of
success are illusory. When glimpsed through an alternate lens one finds that man’s creations
appear nonsensical: under the guise of stability, comprehension and palatability, lie illogical,
disposable spaces. I create environments in paint and collage that respond to these illusions of
functionality and purpose by focusing on their aesthetic, their form.

3.

I construct mixed-media paintings of unstable landscapes. I forge space by emphasizing the
impermanence of architecture and object. In these environments one detects the degradation:
traces of de-evolution and the post-industrial. These paintings document and in-betweeness’ –
that which remains within the structures of past and present. They expose the misconceptions
of “progress” by offering interplay between the futuristic and the de-evolutionary.

4.

My work attempts to reveal the indelible effect and imposing forces of man upon the natural
landscape. The 1990s heralded a construction boom that swiftly substituted forest and field
for large, poorly constructed homes. Traces of place and past were erased, community
sacrificed and environment disrupted. What prevails is a system of impermanence in which
destruction is rewarded.

1-J.Kaczynski, Theodore, and Skrbina, David. Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings of Theodore J.Kaczynski. The Truth About Primitive Life. Feral House (June 1, 2010), 2010. 128. Print.


5.

I detect honesty in worn and weathered objects and architecture. There lingers a mystery
within the marks, an evidence of event. Oxidation or patinas are effects of elapsed time – the
space between an object’s creation and the present. They allude to the ‘in-between,’ an
outcome of what has unfolded since the birth of the object.

6.

The earliest “pure landscapes” – spaces lacking the human figure – are seen in frescoes from
Minoan Greece circa 1500 BCE 2. Painting has been historically an effective method of
communication and has lent itself as a suitable medium in which to reference space, as well
as to respond to and create landscapes. To ensure communication and effect in my work, I
place great importance on the selection and arrangement of various elements within a
composition. Since childhood I have gravitated towards the organization and alteration of
space, creating pieces that pull the viewer in and suggest an order of viewing.

7.

Centuries after the Minoan fresco, the industrial revolution would yield a movement of
landscape artists known as the Hudson River School3. Their work focused on the natural
landscapes of New England and New York. As a New Englander, I have been interested in
the contrasts between their depictions and the current state of the environment. For them,
landscape painting was to reflect themes of 19th century America: discovery, exploration, and
settlement. The themes I work with stem from the point of settlement: metropolis, decline,
and renewed exploration.

8.

It is human nature to seek order in chaos and to conversely subvert order in the acceptance of
a chaotic system. As symbols of a failing society and degenerating infrastructure, one can
look to weathered materials, to a post-industrial aesthetic. These forms of de-evolution
expose the trend of blind progress which places precedent on shortcuts at the expense of
health, well-being, happiness, and environment. We are facing today rapid changes within
society: pervasive joblessness and a state run by corporations who have left us in a postindustrial
period.

2- Honour, Hugh, and John Fleming. A world history of art. 7th edition. Laurence King Publishing, 2005. 53. Print.
(Located at: National Archaeological Museum, Athens)

3- "Metropolitain Museum of Art." Heilburnn Timeline of Art History, Hudson River School. Web. 24 Apr 2011.
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm>.


9.

The deleterious transformation of landscape that was a popular topic in the 1970s is relevant
again. Examples can be found in a number of sources: Agnes Denes’ Wheatfield – A
Confrontation4; Mary Miss’ Perimeter Decoy, 19785; Michael Heizer Displaced/Replaced
Mass6; and Walter DeMaria’s Earth Room7, Gordon Matta-Clarks’s preservation of
weathered interior and exterior walls in Bingo8. Additionally: Peter Goins, Nuclear
Landscapes 9, 1991. This compilation of photos document abandoned nuclear testing sights
and decommissioned power plants, highlighting five locations: Nevada’s Nuclear Test Site;
The Trinity Site in New Mexico, the Hanford Nuclear Area in Washington, and the Marshall
Islands sires of Bikini and Enewetak Attolls. These are landscapes lacking human life,
emphasizing the impermanence of man and his creations. The photographer Edward
Burtynsky describes beautiful, yet hellish environments in the 2006 documentary,
Manufactured Landscapes10. His large-scale, wide-range photographs capture the significant
impact of Big Business on the planet. The minuscule figures within these environments give a
monumental impact, as though the world is a giant sandbox manned by children with onlyshort-term investments. Artist Rob Carter’s Metropolis11, a stop-motion video of everchanging
landscapes that depict Gothic cathedrals shifting into International Style buildings
and sports stadiums, presenting a timeline of developing conceptions of “progress.”


4- Krug, Don. "Art & Ecology: Ecological Art Perspectives and Issues: Ecological Restoration: Agnes Denes."
Environmental Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Issues/denes.php>.
5- Miss, Mary, and Daniel M. Abramson. Mary Miss . New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. Print.
6- "Holes by Michael Heizer." Radical Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://radicalart.info/nothing/space/holes/MichaelHeizer/index.html>.
7- "Dia Art Foundation - Walter De Maria: The New York Earth Room." Dia Art Foundation - Dia. N.p., n.d. Web.
24 Apr. 2011. <http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/earthroom>
8- Lee, Pamela M., and Gordon Clark. Object to be destroyed the work of Gordon Matta-Clark. Cambridge, Mass.:
MIT Press, 2000. Print.
9- Goin, Peter. Nuclear landscapes. Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 1991. Print.
10- Pauli, Lori, Kenneth Baker, Michael Torosian, Mark Booth, and Edward Burtynsky. Manufactured landscapes:
the photographs of Edward Burtynsky. Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada in association with Yale University
Press, 2003. Print.


10.
The function of landscape within the artwork is multi-faceted, suggesting a tangible place that
can be entered and explored. When I construct spaces I use documentations of existing
objects and architectural features. This use of collage can offer an endless suggestion of
space: digital media can manipulate the scale; paint can unify images. Collage can be heavily
referential, making use of cultural commonalities that are readily understood by the viewer,
which in turn can serve to make a work more inviting. It is through the application of paint
however, that any distinct representation is consequently manipulated.

11.

I document my curiosities with the use of photography, and aim to achieve an accessible
portrait of the feelings or responses a place can present. The photo fragments are selected to
showcase the form, color, or texture of an object as subtracted from a larger image. Only the
most crucial shapes and colors are chosen and the information is saved for use in the collage.
Objects are incorporated as architecture, emphasizing construction by using harsh
perspectives and sharp angles. The language of paint comes to manipulate representational
objects, abstracting any suggestion of an original source. Many of the images make reference
to architecture and are gathered for their specific aesthetic, such as Art Deco or Turn of the
Century Industrial. Aesthetics of Industrial, Deco and Streamline movements in architecture
suggest a foreseen future from a historical perspective.

12.

The collage elements are printed on a medium weight archival matte photo paper. The
thickness of the paper is an important factor in creating a distinction between photographic
material and that which has been painted – a differentiation that is to be detected upon closer
examination by the viewer. Collage elements are pasted on using a polyvinyl gel according to
compositional balance and weight. The painted alteration of a photographic image is a
physical, tactually executed manipulation with evidence of texture and transparency. One
detects traces of the construction process. Each work exposes its history in layers beneath
transparent washes. It is important to provide evidence of the process and the time in which it
unfolds: the suggestion of a physical story. This process is what remains essential to fine art
and is consequently lost in new digital media.

11 "(Video) Rob Carter’s Stop Motion Paper Animation - PSFK." PSFK - the go-to source for new ideas and
inspiration for creative professionals. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2011. <http://www.psfk.com/2010/02/video-robcarters-
stop-motion-paper-animation.html>.


13.
Using collage offers certain advantages: individual elements provide a realistic color palette
with reflections and shadow. By cropping the images, the fragments become non-functional
forms. They must respond to the parameters of the panel and the shape and color of the
objects to be depicted. Colors are then matched and forms are extended and manipulated by
paint. The paint itself creates an environment on which to place the collage fragments. The
photographic elements never represent the literal; their function becomes formal. In some
cases I employ only a particular expressive detail within a photo, such as a lever or window,
ignoring 98 percent of the original image, a large section that does not suit any greater
purpose. The objects selected lack a sense of unified environment by themselves – it is the
paint that creates order and unity, offering differentiations in planes and depth. A detailed
photo provides too much literal information; it is this blending with paint that can provide
more in the way of communication, offering a specificity unachieved by elements in their
singularity. Thus the photographic material serves to influence the construction of a more
expansive environment. This combination of photographic fragments and paint allows for
more control over the finished product: that which does not exist exactly as imagined must be
constructed.

14.

A particular facet of collage that uses of source material in the finished product is the
increased opportunity for response and reaction. Minimal collage creates an abstract puzzle to
solve, putting forth the task of rationalizing the collection of objects and architectural
citations, and emphasizing any commonalties that might appear among these fragments. The
combination of images in the construction of form and environment is an impossible
installation. It is the entropy of an object, and the expansion of color and form that serves to
validate the image as a whole.

15.

The paintings are done on wood panel. The panels are of Birch with Poplar bracings. The
Poplar is stained in a dark, natural tine to dull the natural brightness of the wood. It is
important that the bracings do not compete with the highlights within the painting. The square
format is to be suggestive of the cropping of a larger picture. Each panel is 48”x48” to avoid
monumentality and remain at a human scale. Building the panels is an important aspect of the
finished piece: their construction is less commercial and more “human.”

16.

Each piece strives to maintain distinct elemental forms in order to retain some semblance of a
reference point – enough to spark curiosity, enticing the viewer to scrutinize the plane and
discover what the piece is built of. The parts comprising the collage combine recognizable
forms and objects to create a new entity. This method obscures the past purposes of an object,
suggesting an original whole. This method was popular with the aesthetic categorized by
Diesel Punk, a trend that inspired conceptions of a “retro future.” Diesel Punk presented a
manipulated, alternate future of the 1950s from the developed technology and society of the
1930s 12. Some examples: Terry Gillam’s 1985 science-fiction fantasy, Brazil, portrayed a
dystopian world, over-reliant on machines13. Their world makes references to the 1930s and
1950s in a portrait of the future from the perspective of the 1980s; technology and machines
were pieced together from variations on the past and the 1980s present. See also: Philip K.
Dick’s Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep14, 1968, the inspiration for the film Blade
Runner in which the future became the past and the past, present. Additionally, the anxiety
and doubt around the automatic and unmanned machine of the future can be seen in films
such as THX 1138, or Metropolis.

12 "User:Piecraft/Dieselpunk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d.
Web. 24 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Piecraft/Dieselpunk>.
13Brazil - The Criterion Collection - (Single Disc Editon). Dir. Terry Gilliam. Perf. Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Jim
Broadbent, Anthony G. Brown. Criterion, 1985. DVD.
14 K. Dick, Philip. Do androids dream of electric sheep?. Del Rey, 1996. Print.


17.

I use paint to fix and restore broken environments,
to make something ugly palatable,
to share a found beauty in less desirable, hidden places,
to change the purpose of an object and its form,
to free the object from its form.

18.

“All our lauded technological progress -- our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of
the pathological criminal.” -Albert Einstein 15

“The end of human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization” –Ralph Waldo
Emerson.16

"Ours is a culture based on excess, on overproduction; the result is a steady loss of sharpness
in our sensory experience. All the conditions of modern life - its material plentitude, its sheer
crowdedness - conjoin to dull our sensory faculties... What is important now is to recover our
senses. We must learn to see more, to hear more, to feel more." -Susan Sontag 17


15 Rogers, Adrian. "The Future Is Here." Unveiling the end times in our time: the triumph of
the lamb in Revelation. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004. 6. Print.
16 François, Damien, and Ed. McGaa. "Displacing Our Selves." The self-destruction of the
West: critical cultural anthropology. Paris: Publibook, 2007. 443. Print.
17 Sontag, Susan. "9." Against interpretation, and other essays . New York: Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, 1966. 13. Print.






Bibliography
1984. Dir. Michael Radford. Perf. John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton. Mgm
(Video & Dvd), 1984. VHS.
"Dia Art Foundation - Walter De Maria: The New York Earth Room." Dia Art Foundation -
Dia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/earthroom>.
"Dia Art Foundation - Walter De Maria: The New York Earth Room." Dia Art Foundation -
Dia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.diacenter.org/sites/main/earthroom>.
François, Damien, and Ed. McGaa. "Displacing Our Selves." The self-destruction of the
West: critical cultural anthropology. Paris: Publibook, 2007. 443. Print.
Goin, Peter. Nuclear landscapes. Johns Hopkins Univ Pr, 1991. Print.
"Holes by Michael Heizer." Radical Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://radicalart.info/nothing/space/holes/MichaelHeizer/index.html>.
Honour, Hugh, and John Fleming. A world history of art. 7th edition. Laurence King
Publishing, 2005. 53. Print.
J.Kaczynski, Theodore, and Skrbina, David. Technological Slavery: The Collected Writings
of Theodore J. Kaczynski. The Truth About Primitive Life. Feral House (June 1,
2010), 2010. 128. Print.
K. Dick, Philip. Do androids dream of electric sheep?. Del Rey, 1996. Print. Brazil
Krug, Don. "Art & Ecology: Ecological Art Perspectives and Issues: Ecological Restoration:
Agnes Denes." Environmental Art Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.greenmuseum.org/c/aen/Issues/denes.php>.
Lee, Pamela M., and Gordon Clark. Object to be destroyed the work of Gordon Matta-Clark.
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. Print.
9
"Metropolitain Museum of Art." Heilburnn Timeline of Art History, Hudson River School.
Web. 24 Apr 2011. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/hurs/hd_hurs.htm
Miss, Mary, and Daniel M. Abramson. Mary Miss . New York: Princeton Architectural
Press, 2004. Print.
Pauli, Lori, Kenneth Baker, Michael Torosian, Mark Haworth-Booth, Edward Burtynsky, Art
Gallery, National Gallery, and Brooklyn Museum. Manufactured landscapes: the
photographs of Edward Burtynsky. Yale University Press, 2003. Print.
Rogers, Adrian. "The Future Is Here." Unveiling the end times in our time: the triumph of the
lamb in Revelation. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2004. 6.
Print.
Sontag, Susan. "9." Against interpretation, and other Essays . New York: Farrar, Straus &
Giroux, 1966. 13. Print.
"User:Piecraft/Dieselpunk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Piecraft/Dieselpunk>.