Jac Leirner Linhas para Antonio Malta, 2016

Linhas para Antonio Malta unfolds in two central bands of color, overlaid with a secondary layer of short, grey lines that rhythmically intersect the surface. The work is dedicated to Brazilian contemporary artist Antonio Malta Campos, with whom Leirner exhibited at the 32nd São Paulo Biennial in 2016, among other occasions.

During her studies, Leirner explored color through a series of watercolors informed by Bauhaus instructor Johannes Itten’s seminal color theory. Drawing on the teachings of Itten as well as the studies of color of the early twentieth-century painters Josef Albers and Paul Klee, she constructs Linhas para Antonio Malta through methodical layers of luminous pigment—a process requiring precision, patience, and a practiced command of color. Leirner often remarks, “I have the head of a painter,” a mindset she directs toward objects.