Thomas Schulte

For Pat Steir’s large-scale paintings "Dusk" (2007) and "The Dark" (2007) are examples of her specific technique, using the process of dripping to create a delicate interwoven curtain-like surface texture. Works like "So Long Black, Silver and White" (2009) and "So Long Black, Red, Yellow and Blue" (2009) take this approach into her so-called Split Surface Paintings, which pay homage to Barnett Newman and are a prominent feature in her works of the last decade.

"Self Portrait" is Steir’s third wall drawing at Galerie Thomas Schulte. By presenting a multitude of facial features taken from Renaissance sample books Steir’s "Self Portrait" clearly eschews any conventional kind of self-regard, having instead to do with Buddhist notions of non-self. By having a team of artists and students do the actual drawing, the artist’s touch is deliberately depersonalized.