Born in Merano, Italy, in 1956, Rudolf Stingel’s career unfolded in the 1980s with a series of monochromatic paintings and works on paper. His early works, such as this one, are distinguished not only by his unconventional choice of materials but by his intricate exploration of surface textures. Stingel devised an innovative technique of applying oil and enamel paint through the sieve of a tulle screen, resulting in textured works that push the boundaries of traditional canvases, inviting the viewer into the picture plane and encouraging tactile engagement. Indeed, the physicality of Stingel’s paintings engages the senses beyond visual perception.
Stingel’s multi-sensory approach evolved from deep conceptual engagement; in 1989, the year in which the present lot was created, the artist self-published an illustrated manual delineating how to create one of his paintings, which he distributed at that year’s Venice Biennale. This push to transcend the conventions of two-dimensional art—and painting in particular—laid the groundwork for an oeuvre that continues to challenge the definition of the art object and its relationship to viewers, across a diverse range of mediums, techniques, and themes. As New York Times critic Roberta Smith noted in 2013, “His art asks what are paintings, who makes them, and how?”—questions have been central to Stingel’s work from the very beginning.
