John McLaughlin Paintings. Total Abstraction

About

Long acknowledged in Southern California as one of the most important artists of the postwar period, John McLaughlin created a focused body of geometric paintings that are entirely devoid of any connection to everyday experience, inspired by the Japanese notion of the void. Using a technique of layering rectangular bars on adjacent planes of muted color, McLaughlin creates works that provoke introspection and, consequently, a greater understanding of one’s relationship to nature. The exhibition consists of 52 paintings and a selection of collages and drawings that will establish McLaughlin as one of the foremost innovators of total abstraction. A fully illustrated catalogue (the artist’s first hardcover book) features essays by curator Stephanie Barron, artist Tony Berlant with co-curator Lauren Bergman, critic and independent curator Michael Duncan, LACMA's Gail and John Liebes Curator of American Art Ilene Susan Fort, and professor of art at University of California, Los Angeles Russell Ferguson.