Industrial oil-based enamel, rubber torch down, bitumen, wood and copper

127.6 x 184.2 x 14.0 cm

Color Study for Nature Painting is One of Theaster Gates’ tar paintings, which are created using materials commonly found in roofing, reflecting his father’s occupation as a roofer. The dimensionality created by the layering of materials highlights this painting’s sculptural aspect, of which Gates states, “Roofing, and by proxy, painting, has become core to my practice.” These everyday construction materials are used to create forms that reference Modernist abstract traditions. By doing so, Gates elevates their value beyond the practical while extending and challenging the hegemonic tensions underlying this art history canon to include overlooked perspectives of the Black community. Particularly, Gates encourages viewers to perceive Black labour as a kind of artistic labour, as viewers are prompted to consider the socio-economic disparities between Black people and their white counterparts that made it difficult for Black narratives to be sufficiently represented in the art historical canon.