Deitch Projects, New York Private Collection, New York
Catalogue Essay
“I love painting large. It’s just a lot more fun to conquer. I want paintings to create an environment that envelops you.” Kristin Baker
“When I was young, my parents were really into racing. We’d go to races and watch races on TV. It was a really big part of our environment,” artist Kristin Baker explains. The present lot Sturm and Drang, 2008 forges a luscious image of visually tumultuous and viscerally emotional speed. The tactile surface of Sturm and Drang is achieved artistically through Baker’s uses of spray gloss and squeegee-painting techniques on PVC, resulting in smooth colorful surface similar to the slick paint jobs given to the exterior of NASCAR vehicles. Baker’s fascination with the thick heat of a racetrack led her to venture out physically to observe the scenes. “She went to racetracks, photographed and videotaped every aspect of the action there, and began to work elements of it into what were still mostly abstract renderings of crowds, tire burns on concrete, hurtling cars, logos, and sheer breakneck speed.” (Dodie Kazanjian, Vogue, 2008)
The title of the present work is a play on the term Sturm und Drang, German for “Storm and Drive,” the name given to the 18th century literary movement characterized by free emotional expression from the constraints of rationalism and societal norms. Sturm and Drang, 2008 is the result of a careful balance between the tension of meticulous artistic execution and the vibrancy of Baker’s electric colors, longing to break free from the constraints of the picture plane.
Sold to Benefit the Dubin Breast Center at the Mount Sinai Health System