Canadian RCA [b. 1949]
CRUCIFIXION (STRIPE PAINTINGS); 1989
oil and acrylic on wood panel
48 x 12 in. (121.9 x 30.5 cm)
signed & dated verso
Note: Chris Cran developed his process for the Stripe Paintings series in 1989, and subsequent series have used the same innovative technique. The artist first prepares and paints the board or canvas with a flat layer of unmodulated paint. He then extends strips of tape across the entire surface. Using photographic or print source material, Cran then paints a monochromatic image on top of the taped surface, which he softens and blurs with a brushing technique while the paint is still wet. Once the tape is removed (an experience the artist likens to “opening a Christmas present”) the image transforms, taking on depth and an aura of colour. The viewer is compelled to reconstruct the now interrupted image, and the optical effect created by the oscillating field of stripes is, paradoxically, one of veiling the image.