Edith Baumann - Black/Green #3
Acrylic on canvas
64 ¼ x 58 in.
Edith Baumann (b. 1948, Ames, IA) lives and works in Santa Monica, CA. Her paintings concisely balancing precision with vulnerability, motion, and natural imperfection. “I try to make visible nature’s essential harmonies through the balance of form and color. I’m interested in their perceptual energy as the viewer eye’s move about the painting.”
Black/Green #3 by Edith Baumann is an acrylic painting on canvas that challenges the viewer’s perception of color and space. At first glance, the painting appears to be a minimalistic composition of black and white shapes. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that the work is built upon a complex layering of colors, creating a dynamic and vibrant visual experience. The colors blend, emerge and disappear the longer the eye lingers at the painting. The interplay between color and space is a recurring theme in Baumann’s work. She describes her art as a way of exploring “the visual potentialities of color,” and often uses expressive colors to push the boundaries of abstraction.
This piece really challenges the way a viewer sees colors, and is only reserved for those who take time to look longer. The experience of the viewer changes with distance and time. Baumann's abstract paintings are minimalist and simple, yet communicate a deep understanding of color and scale. Black/Green #3 is more than black and white. It is a mature understanding of the eye and how it can perceive differently. Baumann's work is inclusive and inviting for anyone within its proximity. Although the seemingly two toned painting, feels void of surface leveled expression, it includes worlds of micro expressions and hidden marks of color. Black/Green #3 invites you to look, look longer, then look again.