Sam Gilliam, American (b. 1933)
Sam Gilliam is a
color field painter who has taken color literally into a new dimension. He
became the first painter to introduce the idea of the unsupported canvas when,
in 1965, he became inspired by clothes hanging on the line to dry. He suspended
large areas of paint-stained canvas, allowing the canvas to occupy space and
become almost sculptural: he taped sections, poured
colors directly onto the canvas, folded and stained canvases, and then folded a
still-wet canvas onto itself. He finally abandoned the frame and stretcher
altogether. His technique earned him the name “father of the draped canvas,”
but at the height of its popularity Gilliam abandoned this approach and in 1975
began making vibrant geometric collages influenced by musicians Miles Davis and
John Coltrane. His work further evolved into his "quilted" paintings
of the 1980s, where he cut geometric shapes from his thickly encrusted canvas
surfaces and rearranged them on nylon or canvas backgrounds in patterns. Often
working on a monumental scale, Gilliam has incorporated his approach on
small-scale works as well, as is evident in Cool
Zebras 16. The layering of handmade
paper, cutting of shapes, and irregular contours are hallmarks of his
aesthetic.
Sam Gilliam
earned his B.A. from the