Why Paintings Work
‘Is there such a thing as the content of a painting? The word “content” suggests that a painting contains something that can be taken out, in the same way that you can pour wine from a bottle. In the case of a painting, it could be its meaning, an idea or a point. If the content was all that a painting had to offer, however, painters would have become writers, or philosophers. In a painting, it is never just about “what” is painted, or the idea behind it, but always about “how” it is done.’
In ‘Why Paintings Work’, Jurriaan Benschop navigates the diverse landscape of contemporary painting. He introduces the work of dozens of painters and asks: Why do these paintings work? In what ways do they speak to the viewer? He considers both the visible aspects of painting¾such as the depicted motif and the application of paint¾and the concepts, beliefs and motivations that underlie the canvas. ‘Why Paintings Work’ is not just about how we look at paintings, but also about finding a language that suits the art and viewing experience of today.
Jurriaan Benschop is a Dutch writer and curator based in Athens and Berlin. Among the exhibitions he curated are ‘A Grammar of Gestures’ (Athens, 2021), ‘Taking Root’ (Düsseldorf, 2019) and ‘A Matter of Touch’ (Berlin, 2020). His book ‘Salt in the Wound. Encountering Contemporary Artists across Europe’ was published by Garret in 2019.
Among the artists featured in this book are: Nikos Aslanidis, David Benforado, Louise Bonnet, Glenn Brown, Maria Capelo, Peter Doig, Béatrice Dreux, Helmut Federle, Beverly Fishman, Elisabeth Frieberg, Victoria Gitman, Veronika Hilger, Martha Jungwirth, Andreas Ragnar Kassapis, Kristi Kongi, Mark Lammert, Rezi van Lankveld, Michael Markwick, Kerry James Marshall, Lara de Moor, Matthew Metzger, Marc Mulders, Kaido Ole, Jorge Queiroz, Fiona Rae, Daniel Richter, Jessica Stockholder, Marc Trujillo, Anna Tuori, Matthias Weischer, Paula Zarina-Zemane and Gerlind Zeilner.
The book contains 284 pages with more than 100 illustrations in color, paperback 14 x 20 cm, in English. Published May 2023 by Garret Publications, Helsinki. Available in book- and museum shops around the world.
