Richard Artschwager - New Mexico - Berlin

In the years before his death in 2013, Richard Artschwager returned to the New Mexican landscape of his childhood to make colored pastel drawings.

Rarely exhibited since their creation, these moving works provide a unique insight into the artist’s approach to color and subject matter in his later life. Landscapes entered Artschwager’s repertoire in 2007, following a visit to his childhood home of New Mexico in 2006. When the Artschwager family first moved to New Mexico from Washington D.C. in 1927, the young Richard thought of it as a great adventure. The colored pastel drawings recall landscapes first introduced to him as a subject by his mother, an artist herself, during trips to the desert surrounding Las Cruces. Remarkably, it wasn’t until his mid-eighties that he began to revisit these early memories within his art.

Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
45.7 × 60 cm
18 × 23 5/8 inches
69.9 × 54.7 cm (framed)
27 1/2 × 21 1/2 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
45.7 × 60 cm
18 × 23 5/8 inches
69.9 × 54.7 cm (framed)
27 1/2 × 21 1/2 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010

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These drawings show Artschwager once again entering new artistic territory at an old age. Although they do not at first glance seem to fit his established body of work, they show the same basic approaches that shaped his oeuvre.

Richard Artschwager
Reflection, 2010
Pastel on velvet
51.4 × 68.9 cm
20 1/4 × 27 1/8 inches
60.4 × 77.9 cm (framed)
23 7/8 × 30 3/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Reflection, 2010
Pastel on velvet
51.4 × 68.9 cm
20 1/4 × 27 1/8 inches
60.4 × 77.9 cm (framed)
23 7/8 × 30 3/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Reflection, 2010

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The relation between the two- and three-dimensional, which is so important for Artschwager’s work, is here explored through the effect of pastel chalk on different kinds of papers. Artschwager once observed that “Paper always talks a lot”. The artist used a range of different surfaces, from colored paper and hand-made paper, to sandpaper and velvet. The blue velvet gives Reflection its irresistible richness and depth. The different surfaces shift our focus from the image to the materiality, making paper an essential attribute of the work itself.

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Beams of Light, 2010
Pastel on dark brown paper
58.4 × 44.5 cm
23 × 17 1/2 inches
67.6 × 53.5 cm (framed)
26 5/8 × 21 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Beams of Light, 2010
Pastel on dark brown paper
58.4 × 44.5 cm
23 × 17 1/2 inches
67.6 × 53.5 cm (framed)
26 5/8 × 21 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Beams of Light, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Beams of Light, 2010

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Dark Sky, 2010
Pastel on paper
96.5 × 64.1 cm
38 × 25 1/4 inches
105.6 × 73.1 cm (framed)
41 5/8 × 28 7/8 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Dark Sky, 2010
Pastel on paper
96.5 × 64.1 cm
38 × 25 1/4 inches
105.6 × 73.1 cm (framed)
41 5/8 × 28 7/8 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Dark Sky, 2010
Pastel on paper
96.5 × 64.1 cm
38 × 25 1/4 inches
105.6 × 73.1 cm (framed)
41 5/8 × 28 7/8 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Dark Sky, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Dark Sky, 2010

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The use of rich, luminous color is completely new for the artist. With these late landscapes, we witness Artschwager abandon his beloved grisaille palate, often preferred for his sculpture, for a startling new approach. Look, for instance, at Road with Fence (2004): a landscape that recalls American road movies, the work offers a stark contrast for his shift into color of such intensity.

Richard Artschwager
Road with Fence, 2004
Charcoal on paper
63.5 × 96.5 cm
25 × 38 inches
72.3 × 104.3 cm (framed)
28 1/2 × 41 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Road with Fence, 2004
Charcoal on paper
63.5 × 96.5 cm
25 × 38 inches
72.3 × 104.3 cm (framed)
28 1/2 × 41 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Road with Fence, 2004

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All installation views: Timo Ohler

Strong compositional elements are typified by bands of dense, tonal colors of varying textures and widths. The passing landscapes blur all visible details into horizontal bands of color, oscillating between materiality and immateriality. Roaming the grounds of Artschwager’s landscapes one comes across vague details, inviting the viewer linger for a moment before diving back into the layers of pastel that conjure a world of their own. In the foreground of Landscape with Tiny Houses, subtly punctuating the foreground, there are two small houses, framed by finely nuanced shades of the hazy sky, shimmering as if at the end of a heady summer day.

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Tiny Houses, 2013
Pastel on paper
48.9 × 68.6 cm
19 1/4 × 27 inches
58 × 77.6 cm (framed)
22 7/8 × 30 1/2 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Tiny Houses, 2013
Pastel on paper
48.9 × 68.6 cm
19 1/4 × 27 inches
58 × 77.6 cm (framed)
22 7/8 × 30 1/2 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Tiny Houses, 2013 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Tiny Houses, 2013

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The color, composition, and sense of time passing all derive from the feeling of a long road trip across the American west. The shifting landscape invites contemplation of both nature’s capacity for constant change and its eerie timelessness.

Richard Artschwager
Crater (Kilbourne Hole), 2008
Pastel on sandpaper
55.2 × 70.5 cm
21 3/4 × 27 3/4 inches
64.2 × 79.7 cm (framed)
25 1/4 × 31 3/8 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Bowl of Apples, 2007
Pastel on velvet paper
70.5 × 94 cm
27 3/4 × 37 inches
79.7 × 105.7 cm (framed)
31 3/8 × 41 5/8 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Road and Field, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
45.7 × 61 cm
18 × 24 inches
54.7 × 69.9 cm (framed)
21 1/2 × 27 1/2 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape on Gray Paper, 2010
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.1 cm
19 3/4 × 25 5/8 inches
59.7 × 74.3 cm (framed)
23 1/2 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape, 2012
Pastel on handmade paper
57.8 × 85.1 cm
22 3/4 × 33 1/2 inches
66.9 × 94 cm (framed)
26 3/8 × 37 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Diagonal Road with Mesa, 2009
Oil pastel on paper
63.8 × 96.5 cm
25 1/8 × 38 inches
73.1 × 105.6 cm (framed)
28 7/8 × 41 5/8 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Purple Bushes, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2012
Pastel on blue paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Tree Trunk with River, 2010
Pastel on Paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Bushes with Blue Sky, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Green Sky, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Untitled (Tree Trunk), 2007
Pastel on paper
96.5 × 63.5 cm
38 × 25 inches
105.7 × 72.5 cm (framed)
41 5/8 × 28 1/2 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Vertical Landscape with Road, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
61.6 × 47 cm
24 1/4 × 18 1/2 inches
70.6 × 56 cm (framed)
27 7/8 × 22 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Bushes, 2010
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Gray Roof and Field, 2011
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

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Richard Artschwager
Crater (Kilbourne Hole), 2008
Pastel on sandpaper
55.2 × 70.5 cm
21 3/4 × 27 3/4 inches
64.2 × 79.7 cm (framed)
25 1/4 × 31 3/8 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Crater (Kilbourne Hole), 2008

Richard Artschwager
Bowl of Apples, 2007
Pastel on velvet paper
70.5 × 94 cm
27 3/4 × 37 inches
79.7 × 105.7 cm (framed)
31 3/8 × 41 5/8 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Bowl of Apples, 2007 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Road and Field, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
45.7 × 61 cm
18 × 24 inches
54.7 × 69.9 cm (framed)
21 1/2 × 27 1/2 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Horizontal Landscape with Road and Field, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape on Gray Paper, 2010
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.1 cm
19 3/4 × 25 5/8 inches
59.7 × 74.3 cm (framed)
23 1/2 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape on Gray Paper, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape, 2012
Pastel on handmade paper
57.8 × 85.1 cm
22 3/4 × 33 1/2 inches
66.9 × 94 cm (framed)
26 3/8 × 37 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape, 2012 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Diagonal Road with Mesa, 2009
Oil pastel on paper
63.8 × 96.5 cm
25 1/8 × 38 inches
73.1 × 105.6 cm (framed)
28 7/8 × 41 5/8 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Diagonal Road with Mesa, 2009 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Purple Bushes, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Purple Bushes, 2011 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2011 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2012
Pastel on blue paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Bushes, 2012 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Tree Trunk with River, 2010
Pastel on Paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Tree Trunk with River, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Bushes with Blue Sky, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.2 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Bushes with Blue Sky, 2011 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Green Sky, 2011
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Green Sky, 2011 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Untitled (Tree Trunk), 2007
Pastel on paper
96.5 × 63.5 cm
38 × 25 inches
105.7 × 72.5 cm (framed)
41 5/8 × 28 1/2 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Untitled (Tree Trunk), 2007 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Vertical Landscape with Road, 2010
Pastel on handmade paper
61.6 × 47 cm
24 1/4 × 18 1/2 inches
70.6 × 56 cm (framed)
27 7/8 × 22 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Vertical Landscape with Road, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Bushes, 2010
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Bushes, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010
Pastel on green paper
50.2 × 64.8 cm
19 3/4 × 25 1/2 inches
59 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 1/4 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)

Richard Artschwager
Landscape with Blue Mountains, 2010 (detail)

Richard Artschwager
Gray Roof and Field, 2011
Pastel on paper
50.2 × 65.4 cm
19 3/4 × 25 3/4 inches
59.3 × 74.4 cm (framed)
23 3/8 × 29 1/4 inches (framed)