Donald Sultan, White Pines April, 2009
Mixografia print on handmade paper
45 x 45 cm
Condition: Very good
Edition 48 of 75
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Donald Sultan (American, b. 1951) is a distinguished American painter, printmaker and sculptor who has been at the forefront of contemporary art since the 1970s. He is best known for challenging conventions of materiality and technique, transforming Western traditions of painting into a truly contemporary venture.
Sultan says his work, often categorised as still-life painting, is first and foremost abstract. His instantly recognisable silhouettes of fruit, flowers and lemons, among other objects, set against black, large-scale backgrounds assert the power of form. He incorporates geometric and organic shapes into his work and places equal emphasis on both negative and positive spaces, enabling an element of ampleness to translate to viewers.
Juxtaposing traditional approaches to painting with unique materials, Sultan uses industrial plaster, tar, spackle and enamel as part of his painting process. Creating layers on Masonite instead of canvas, he cuts and strips away sections, outlining and embossing his chosen shapes and forms before painting over them. Sultan describes his work as “heavy structure, holding fragile meaning” and it hovers between industry and nature.
(Photographed in June 2024)