Page 127 - Flaunt 170 - The Phoenix Issue - Bosworth

CLAUDE RUTAULT. DE-FINITION/METHOD “OBSTACLES AND DEFENSES, THEME 53 OF ‘FROM STACK TO STACK” 1989-1990. PAINT ONE CANVAS. VARIABLE DIMENSIONS ACCORDING TO THE ACTUALIZATION © COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND PERROTIN. canvases, which are of all different shapes, sizes, and painted in a variety of hues, all dispersed across the exhibition space. Each canvas echoes the formal role of the paint stroke. Your eye can either linger on a single point of color, or instead, the entirety of the garden. In particular, the colors reminded me of Monet’s Water Lilies. What place does painting have in an increasingly digitized world? I decided long ago to pursue only painting. Many have chosen to follow a less rigorous path. When I teach painters, I notice that my students try many different paths without clear and definitive guiding principles. In the end, I see many who expand their practice into other disciplines. Do you consider yourself a conceptual artist or a painter? At the end of the day, I am a painter in the traditional sense of the word. However, my work also invents situations where engagement is possible, rather than simply presenting a pictorial plane across space. My work has never fit into a neat category or definition. In a way, it is always in discussion with art history. I began my current practice of “definition/meth- od” in 1973 and it is my life’s work to continue evolving and refining this line of inquiry. Is there a relationship between eras/zeitgeists and the individuals who actualize the de-finition/methods? Or do you find there is collective constant in the way individuals approach your de-finition/methods? Today, the concept of the charge-taker is much more accept- ed than it was in 1973. In the beginning, my work was sought out for its aesthetic value, first and foremost. During that time, the charge was secondary, although still respected as a rigorous part of my practice. Today, I would say the focus has shifted and the notion of the charge is an integral part of the work. What advice would you impart to fledgling artists? It is difficult to impart advice without knowing someone. However, one constant is the importance of learning, spe- cifically about the history of art. This should take time, of course. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, is patience. Young artists should take their time and become accustomed to patience. Things will never happen as quickly as they wish, 121 CLAUDE RUTAULT. DE-FINITION/METHOD: “MONOCHROMES” 1994. PAINT ON CANVAS. VARIABLE DIMENSIONS ACCORDING TO THE ACTUALIZATION. EXHIBITION VIEW OF “PICASSO/RUTAULT. GRAND ÉCART” AT MUSÉE PICASSO, PARIS, 2018. © COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND PERROTIN. PHOTO: CLAIRE DORN