Online Viewing Room

Julian Schnabel

The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky

Mar 12 – Apr 18, 2020

Painted in Mexico and Montauk, Julian Schnabel's latest large-scale works embrace the irregular shapes of their supports—fabric tarps sourced from an ambulatory market in Mexico.

The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky I by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky I*, 2019, oil on found fabric, 108" × 90" (274.3 cm × 228.6 cm)

Untitled III by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Untitled III*, 2019, ink and oil on found fabric, 84" × 65-1/2" (213.4 cm × 166.4 cm)

These works catalogue the possibilities of how and what to paint, revealing a new way of looking at the world that blurs the line between representation and configuration. As artist and writer James Nares explains, “These paintings represent the evidence of their own autonomy. They are metaphoric in an open way, not to interpretation as image but as underlying principles and facets of nature.”

Weather-beaten fabrics provide a temporal point of departure. “Julian is drawn to surfaces and objects that show their own history—scuffed-up cardboard, the discarded sails of sailing ships, Kabuki theater backdrops…he thinks of them as ‘opportunities’—calls them ‘veils of time.’”

Let the Wind Speak III by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Let the Wind Speak III*, 2018, oil and gesso on found fabric, 131" × 175" (332.7 cm × 444.5 cm)

The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky III by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky III*, 2019, oil on found fabric, 108" × 90" (274.3 cm × 228.6 cm)

Painted with marks Nares refers to as “a kind of mapping of the mind,” the works evoke volcanoes, rock formations, ocean waves, deserts, outer space, all rendered in emotive indigo blues, blood reds, pale pinks and olive greens– eternity. Once a utilitarian object, the fabric ground contains traces of its past life and the perfection of the coincidental opening a window into both our world and one imagined in dense paint. “The paintings are full of dynamic surprises….Small fire, a prism, and a window-like opening in a place with no wall, blue sky beyond…”

The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky II by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky II*, 2019, oil on found fabric, 106" × 90" (269.2 cm × 228.6 cm)

“The paintings are full of dynamic surprises….Small fire, a prism, and a window-like opening in a place with no wall, blue sky beyond…”

James Nares

Let the Wind Speak II by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Let the Wind Speak II*, 2018, oil on found fabric, 140" × 176" (355.6 cm × 447 cm)

Why not I by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Why not I*, 2019, ink and oil on found fabric, 84" × 65-1/2" (213.4 cm × 166.4 cm)

Why not IV by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Why not IV*, 2019, ink and oil on found fabric, 84" × 65-1/2" (213.4 cm × 166.4 cm)

Julian is drawn to surfaces and objects that show their own history—scuffed-up cardboard, the discarded sails of sailing ships, Kabuki theater backdrops…he thinks of them as ‘opportunities’—calls them ‘veils of time.’

James Nares

Preschool and Afterschool by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Preschool and Afterschool*, 2018, oil and gesso on found fabric, 128" × 213-1/2" (325.1 cm × 542.3 cm)

Let the Wind Speak I by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Let the Wind Speak I*, 2018, oil and gesso on found fabric, 133" × 171-1/2" (337.8 cm × 435.6 cm)

Why not II by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Why not II*, 2019, ink and oil on found fabric, 84" × 65-1/2" (213.4 cm × 166.4 cm)

Why not V by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Why not V*, 2019, ink and oil on found fabric, 84" × 65-1/2" (213.4 cm × 166.4 cm)

Let the Wind Speak IV by Julian Schnabel — Julian Schnabel, *Let the Wind Speak IV*, 2018, oil on found fabric, 144" × 159" (365.8 cm × 403.9 cm)

To inquire about any of the works featured in this exhibition, please email inquiries@pacegallery.com.

Past, Julian Schnabel, The Patch of Blue the Prisoner Calls the Sky, Mar 12, 2020