Photo Credit: David Dietrich
Untitled
© Estate of George Bireline
Flat expanses of color are carefully balanced in this monumental painting on unprimed canvas. Closely observed, the interactions of the color blocks create afterimages that seem to move across the surface and offer suggestions of depth. Part of a series of large-scale horizontal works exhibited at the Andre Emmerich Gallery in New York City, Untitled exemplifies Bireline’s exploration of Color Field painting, a movement championed by noted art critic Clement Greenberg who praised Bireline’s work in that arena. Always attuned to new ideas in the arts, Bireline changed his artistic focus over the course of his five decade-long career. A master of tromp l’oeil, he famously utilized color and form, symbols, and allusions to literature, history, and matters of belief to respond to the world around him. As a faculty member at the North Carolina State University School of Design from 1956 through 1986, he taught generations of students. Bireline was always experimenting. His classroom, studio, and paintings all served as reminders to continue looking and learning.
Exhibition Title: Asheville Art Museum: An Introduction to the Collection
Label Date: 2021
Type: Catalogue Entry
Written by: Pamela L. Myers
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