Rose Painting (Near Van Gogh’s Grave) III, 2015
Oil, plates, bondo on wood
72h x 60w x 8d in (182.88h x 152.40w x 20.32d cm)
© Julian Schnabel Photo by Argenis Apolinario
Are books dead? No, certainly not. Is painting dead? It is not, either. Those declared dead live longer, they say. And so it goes, especially for these two mediums. But why? Because there are people with an unwavering belief in them. And beyond that, those who do it anyway: they paint or even make books.
One of these people is Julian Schnabel. When painting was declared obsolete in the ‘70s, he didn’t pay much attention. He painted. And this he did with such fervor that he led painting to new horizons. Schnabel’s painting marked a new beginning. And it should all be at least as large as life itself. In the case of this artist, however, it meant oversized.