Keith Coventry: Deontological Pictures

by Nick Zangwill

Keith Coventry is known for works which co opt philosophical or art theoretical positions as a way of testing and questioning the boundaries of such ideas. His new work, The Deontological Pictures, is an extension of this approach. These variations of black paintings some much darker and others with undulations of lighter grays and browns are produced by slavishly following a set of rules which, to the artist's mind, safeguards against any wayward aesthetic or ethical judgment having taken place. Each work is made by adding black pigment to rainwater collected from Coventry's leaky roof, then brushed onto the jute with a broom. The work is left to dry flat on the floor, and the material is then stretched and framed. A compact catalog featuring 15 never before seen paintings plus a text on deontology by Nick Zangwill and artist interview by Michael Bracewell.

56 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012