There was so very much more in this show, Michael Craig-Martin at the Royal Academy than I’d expected, hence the 2 blog posts. I was only familiar with the artist’s bright coloured pieces which you’ll see in the second post.
I was completely unaware of Craig-Martin‘s earlier work, influenced by Marcel Duchamp. Seeing this helped me understand his influence on his students, most famously the YBAs.
Please read the text below, as it is part of the same work.
It’s the wit and visual clarity that I appreciate.
Craig-Martin’s decision to draw with matt tape preceded computers and CAD. Look at the purity of line in these small box drawings.
A fountain pen with the line it has drawn is scaled up to beyond life-size in steel.
Fountain pens used to be everyday objects but have been superseded as have the items below in this series of prints.
Line drawing goes huge in this mural, epic in scale yet temporary. Once peeled off there will be nothing left behind, just a ball of used tape.
