‘For me drawing is the way to see what I'm thinking. All one needs is something to make a mark and a surface to make the mark on. Every medium has its particular quality.’

— Mel Bochner

The present lot Oh Well (2012) by Mel Bochner exemplifies the late artist’s enduring fascination with language and words as both a medium and a conceptual focus. In this work, Bochner transforms everyday expressions of the sense of resignation into a visual presentation on life’s meaning and futility. The painting consists of a cascade of colloquial phrases – ‘OH WELL,’ ‘THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES,’ ‘IT IS WHAT IT IS’ - rendered in an ethereal palette of yellows, mint greens, powder blues, and golden oranges against a misty grey background.

The work's technical execution stands out particularly for its layered approach. Rather than simply applying the text to a canvas, Bochner appears to reveal the letters through a process of masking and resistance, creating an effect where words seem to emerge from and recede into the velvety surface. This technique can be attributed to Bochner’s discovery of using velvet as a medium back in 2005, as it does not absorb paint as much as the other medium and thus creates a visual depth that mirrors the semantic layers of the texts itself. The words appear to float at different depths within the picture plane, some more prominent, others ghostly and barely perceptible.

There is an almost rhythmic structure to the illustrated texts within the composition, due to the repetitive and resigned nature of the phrases themselves. Each expression essentially communicates similar sentiment, yet through their accumulation and varying opacity and colour, they almost create a dialogue about the nature of communication. The phrases stack vertically, creating a visual poetry that transforms these casual expressions into something more artistic and contemplative.

Conceptually, Oh Well continues Bochner's career-long investigation into the relationship between language and visual art. While his earlier works often dealt with measurement and spatial relationships, this series of work now questions how meaning of language is constructed and understood through both verbal and visual means. The casual, almost dismissive quality of the phrases contrasts with their carefully orchestrated artistic presentation and execution, elevating everyday speech to the realm of philosophical inquiry. The texts appear to be simultaneously materialising and dissolving, much like how the meaning of words can shift and fade depending on context and interpretation.

Mel Bochner (b. 1940 in Pittsburgh) was a pivotal figure in Conceptual Art, renowned for integrating language into visual practice. Educated at Carnegie Mellon University, he gained prominence in 1960s New York, curating groundbreaking exhibitions such as Working Drawings and Other Visible Things on Paper Not Necessarily Meant to be Viewed as Art (1966), often cited as one of the first Conceptual Art shows. His career spans painting, photography, and critical writing, with works held in major institutions like MoMA and the Art Institute of Chicago.