About the Work
Shifted Lattice illustrates Siena’s preoccupation with process and procedure, while also capturing the intensity and the expressiveness that characterizes his best work. Though the pattern seems intricate, the lines and shapes are simple, following a “visual algorithm” devised by Siena and executed by his hand to its natural conclusion on the picture plane. This print demonstrates Siena’s claim that he does not like the idea of backgrounds: instead he paints lines around lines, each imbued with a purpose integral to the whole.
The work was created to benefit Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
About the Artist
One of the most famous living abstract artists, James Siena is best known for the intricate geometric abstractions that he creates freehand by imposing upon himself a set of "rules" that he calls "visual algorithms." Beginning with a basic unit—a shape or a set of lines—he allows these algorithms, which are essentially predetermined permutations, to guide the progression of each work. The resulting drawing or painting is a pattern that is not only visually complex, but also logical and formulaic. “They’re procedures,” Siena says of the rules governing his paintings. “Each painting has to do with carrying out a procedure, no matter how simple. It’s the task of making it physical.” Though rigorously executed and highly procedural, Siena’s abstract compositions transcend geometry, producing psychological, and some might even say meditative or spiritual, effects.
Edition of 118
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