Meritatio (Primary Title)
Brice Marden, American, 1938–2023 (Artist)
“In my mind, the small panels are the light and the darkness . . . the idea of Christ as light.” —Brice Marden
Meritatio is one of a sequence of five multipanel paintings, collectively titled Annunciation. The series interprets a 15th-century Italian priest’s commentary on Mary’s response to the news that she would give birth to a savior: disquiet, reflection, inquiry, submission and, in this painting, merit. The panels’ varying widths and colors reflect thoughts about light and darkness and good and evil.
Like other artists associated with Minimalism, Marden communicates through abstract means, emphasizing smooth surfaces, carefully mixed colors, and simple geometric units. The paintings’ titles, and Marden’s comments on his inspiration, however, allow—even encourage—the kind of symbolic content more-often association with representation than with abstraction.
Late Twentieth Century Art from the Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation Collection, Gibbes Art Gallery, Charleston, SC, October 15, 1981 – January 10, 1982; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MI, January 31 – March 14, 1982; University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, March 28 – May 30, 1982; Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, September 10 – October 31, 1982; Allentwon Art Museum, Allentown, PA, November 14 – January 16, 1983; University Memorial Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, January 30 – March 13, 1983; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY, March 25 – May 29, 1983
Brice Marden: Paintings, Drawings, Etchings, 1975-80, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, March 12 – April 21, 1981; Whitechapel Gallery, London, May 8 – June 21, 1981
The Sydney and Frances Lewis Foundation Collection, Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, December 5, 1978 – January 8, 1979; Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, March 22 – May 2, 1979; The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, September 13 – November 4, 1979; Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis, TN, December 2, 1979 – January 27, 1980; Dupont Gallery, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA, February 18 – March 21, 1980; The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, September 21 – November 9, 1980; Madison Art Center, Madison, WI, November 23, 1980 – January 18, 1981
Brice Marden: Recent Paintings and Drawings, Pace Gallery, New York, NY, September 23 – October 21, 1978
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