Abstraction; composition consists of two forms made of tangles of yellow lines over black and red and superimposed over 2 of the 3 black boxes of lines with contrasting diagonal movements within each box; whole against a rich pinkish-purple background.

Selective Identity

Lasker, Jonathan

1992

Artwork Information

  • Title:

    Selective Identity

  • Artist:

    Lasker, Jonathan

  • Artist Bio:

    American, born 1948

  • Date:

    1992

  • Medium:

    Oil on canvas

  • Dimensions:

    80 x 60 inches

  • Credit Line:

    Wichita Art Museum, Museum purchase with funds donated by The Robert M. Beren Foundation

  • Object Number:

    1999.5

  • Display:

    Not Currently on Display

About the Artwork

Jonathan Lasker’s 1992 painting titled Selective Identity heralded a rigorous investigation of the language and motives of abstraction. Acknowledged as a leading figure in the late 20th century vanguard movement known as postmodernism. Lasker defined the essentials of his style and of his combative theoretical dialogue with modernity in this work. The artist appropriated key elements of formal style from the two critically significant yet theoretically opposed abstract movements—Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism—and reduced these borrowed elements to formulaic signs. By intermingling the abstract visual signs for pure emotion with those denoting pure objectivity. Lasker challenged the claims of 20th century abstraction to reveal the soul of the artist.