Rudolf Stingel

Place: Merano

Born: 1956

Biography:

Rudolf Stingel is an Italian artist born in Merano, Italy in 1956. He is based in New York City and creates conceptual painting and installations that challenge contemporary notions about painting. Using readily available materials such as styrofoam, carpet, and cast polyurethane, Stingel creates art based upon an underlying conceptual framework.

Early Work

Stingel became first recognised in the late 1980s for his monochromatic works, silvery paintings with undertones of red, yellow or blue from 1987 to 1994. His later abstract paintings from the 1990s consist of oils in pure, brilliant colors exuberantly splayed, dripped, pressed, and pulled across a black field. The works begin with the application of a thick layer of paint in a particular colour to the canvas. Pieces of gauze are then placed over the surface of the canvas and silver paint is added using a spray gun. Finally, the gauze is removed, resulting in a richly textured surface. Stingel's work can be found at https://Wikioo.org/@/Rudolf-Stingel, where his paintings such as Untitled (242 x 300 cm, Palazzo Grassi (Venice, Italy), Oil On Canvas) are showcased. His use of materials and techniques challenges the traditional notions of painting, making him a notable figure in the art world.

Installations and Site-Specific Works

In the early 1990s, Stingel created a series of radiator sculptures made of translucent cast resin in which orange acrylic paint was poured during the casting process. Installed like ordinary radiators, the works nevertheless disallow their identification to a purely utilitarian object through their marbled ember-like glow. Also in the early 1990s, Stingel started his inquiry into the relationship between painting and space by developing a series of installations that covered the walls and floors of exhibition spaces with monochrome or black and white carpets, transforming the architecture into a painting. His site-specific work Plan B (2004) covered the entire floors of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall and The Walker Art Center with an industrially-printed pink and blue floral carpet. Simultaneously in Frankfurt am Main, Stingel completely resurfaced one of the rooms of Museum für Moderne Kunst – walls, columns and floor – with bright red and silver insulation panels printed with a traditional damask wallpaper motif.

• Stingel's use of carpet as a medium for his installations challenges the traditional notions of painting and sculpture.
• His site-specific works, such as Plan B (2004), demonstrate his ability to transform architecture into a work of art.
• Stingel's use of industrial materials and techniques challenges the traditional notions of painting and sculpture.

Conclusion

Rudolf Stingel is a conceptual artist who challenges the traditional notions of painting and sculpture. His use of readily available materials and techniques creates art based upon an underlying conceptual framework, making him a notable figure in the art world. His site-specific works and installations demonstrate his ability to transform architecture into a work of art, and his use of industrial materials challenges the traditional notions of painting and sculpture. Stingel's work can be found at https://Wikioo.org/@/Rudolf-Stingel, where his paintings and installations are showcased.