Untitled
Artist
James Chatelain
(American, born 1947)
Date1975
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions16 1/2 × 16 1/2 in. (41.9 × 41.9 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineGift of James Pearson Duffy, 2008
Object numberUAC3571
DescriptionThis heavily expressionist and grimly haunting figure series, frequently referred to as Chatelain’s “dark figures,” was created between 1975 to 1977. Each painting depicts people in a groundless, disorienting, and monochrome void. Even though the figures are abstracted, the implied relationship between the people is clear, such as “Untitled #102” in which a person carrying a limp body. While “ Untitled #102” is the least sinister of the series in terms of an ambiguous relationship between the figures, when put into context, a violent narrative could be imagined. There is a thread of angst, aggression, and vulnerability throughout the series since each painting features a violent encounter based on moments from Chatelain’s time living in Detroit. The lack of detail in both the scene and the figures encourages a kind of blank anonymity in which the viewer can imagine anyone and anywhere, perhaps seeing themselves as the victim or attacker. The thick layers of paint and visible brush strokes add to the psychological underpinnings, enticing the viewer to consider the anxiety of being attacked and of being an attacker. Chatelain intentionally created the canvases of this series to sizes that would make it comfortable for only one person to view at a time, encouraging a close and intimateexperience with these intense scenes.
James Chatelain received a BFA from Wayne State University in 1971. He was an important member of the Cass Corridor movement in Detroit and was a co-founder of the Willis Gallery. His work is closely aligned with the urban expressionism style and experimentation that defined the Cass Corridor movement but he also gained notoriety as a practicing artist outside of Detroit by having studios in New York and Ohio.
Fiorucci
3/01/2018
Collections
