Mel Bochner has no idea what Houstonians will think when they first see “Smudge,” the fourth installment in the Menil Drawing Institute mural series. “I don’t mind,” he says. “I just want them to think.”
Artists spent up to two weeks creating large-scale site-specific works for Menil’s stretch of white walls. Each exhibit is on display for his one year.
Bochner, 82, completed “Smudge” in two hours. He dipped his hand in blue carpenter’s chalk — the rest came naturally.
The first version of the ‘Blue Powder Pigment Wall Piece’ debuted in 1968. Andy Warhol’s ‘Brillo Boxes’ and Jasper John’s ‘Flags’ defined the zeitgeist.
“My question is do you need an object?” recalls Bochner.
In a catalog statement published in 2000, he referenced passages from Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book Zettel (Cuttings).
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“blur”
When: Until September 2023
Where: Menil Drawing Institute, 1412 W. Main
Details: Free. menil.org
Bochner’s work matured in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of the transition from abstract expressionism to more conceptual art. His generation challenged an unspoken code, a mantle he upholds to this day.
He argues that most art consciously or unconsciously draws the viewer in a particular direction. And Bochner doesn’t want to do that. His view is that the artist’s feelings should not matter at all. Work should be more democratic and less dependent on predetermined conditions.
“What I think is nobody’s business, it’s mine,” he says. “And what do viewers think if no one is in business but in their own business?”
With Smudge and other Blue Powder Pigment Wall Pieces, Bochner ponders what is the simplest and most important human gesture. “The way the arm moves at the elbow, the arch it draws,” he replies.
Since there is no formula, there is nothing like getting it right. There is no pressure on either Bochner or the viewer. He understands and accepts that this spirit can disappoint. With an open mind, “Smudge” may surprise viewers. They may smile or get angry.
“If they don’t respond, that’s justified,” says Bochner. “I just want them to have a conversation in their heads: ‘Why is it blue? Why is it on the wall?'” Then there’s the dialogue. “
In Menil’s ephemeral drawing series, chief curator Eduard Kopp is tasked with asking artists to ask museum visitors visual questions. Spoiler alert: There is no right or easy answer.
He hinted at Bochner’s sustained involvement over the decades. He praised Bochner’s thoughtfulness and accuracy as a writer.
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Strangely enough, my obsession with three-dimensional objects led to “Smudge.” It’s not a word on paper or a thick medium, it’s an inherent thickness. Bochner once suggested that “before the invention of canvases and stretchers, walls have been the main support for visual images since cave paintings.”
Kopp shared his excitement to see how Bochner invests and considers the vastness of wall space at the Menil Drawing Institute.
The artist is in awe of the venue. “It’s the pinnacle of drawing museums,” says Bochner. “First Wall He said drawings have revolutionized art because they only exist while you are looking at them…Drawings are the foundation of his visual art and this place celebrates them. ”
Still, he can’t help but state the obvious. “It’s a big fancy space for a little blue stain.”
Bochner has a sense of humor in this exhibit and wants visitors to feel it too. He finds it ironic and funny. There is no deep hidden meaning. That’s what it is, fulfilling the essential function of an artist.
“Audiences might say, ‘What the hell?'” says Bochner. “But it also raises the question, ‘Why is this a work of art?'”
amber.elliott@chron.com
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