Aldrich Discovers: Painting Backwards
Thursday, August 21 · 2 pm to 4 pm
FREE for members and children under 18; FREE with the price of admission
Build with paint, layer different colors, and develop a rich, complex image, from the details to the background, through a creative approach to painting inspired by exhibiting artist David Diao. In this workshop, use painters' tape and cardstock to cover areas on your paper, creating designs with negative space. Layer paint and tape, peeling it away when finished to see the image you have constructed
David Diao: Front to Back brings together a selection of paintings that span the years 1971 to 2012, presenting a timeline of Diao's sustained dialogue with Modernism, as well as his relationship to the art world and the critical establishment. The early works, speak to Diao's struggle with the history of gestural abstraction in a period where many artists were questioning the validity of painting. The more recent works in the exhibition reflect on Diao's position in the art world in the 1970s, not only acting as criticism of the establishment, but also reflecting the artist's soul searching on both his career and his role in the unfolding history of painting. David Diao: Front to Back is one of a series of solo presentations during the 2014–15 anniversary year that features artists whose work was included in historic Aldrich exhibitions. Larry Aldrich, the Museum's founder, purchased one of Diao's paintings in 1969 and his work was featured in Aldrich exhibitions in both 1992 and 1996.
Major support for Museum operations has been provided by members of The Aldrich Board of Trustees and the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.
Children and family programs at The Aldrich are supported, in part, by Newman's Own Foundation.