strip painting, Brion Gysin

Artwork Overview

Brion Gysin, strip painting
Brion Gysin, strip painting
Brion Gysin
strip painting
1961
Brion Gysin
1916–1986
strip painting, 1961
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: acrylic; watercolor; paper
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 25 x 100 cm
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 17 x 44 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 17 1/4 x 46 1/2 x 1 in
Weight (Weight): 9 lbs
Credit line: Loaned by the Estate of William S. Burroughs
Accession number: L1990.004
Not on display
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Exhibition Label: "Brion Gysin: A Selection of Books and Works on Paper," Feb-2005, Steve Goddard and Joanna Sternberg By the time Gysin adapted his “writing paintings” to the long scroll-like format of the “strip paintings” displayed here, his integration of hand-stamped grids and calligraphic marks reached a chant-like pitch. These works are shot through with subtle patterns and changes that are made verbally manifest in the yellow strip painting which incorporates parts of Gysin’s poem, “I am that I am.” In this and related poems Gysin explores the possible permutations of the words in a short phrase. “I am that I am” can be seen in the exhibited book, Brion Gysin Let The Mice In, where he explains: The whole idea of the permutations came to me visually on seeing the so-called, Divine Tautology, in print. It looked wrong, to me, non symmetrical. The biggest word, That, belonged in the middle but all I had to do was to switch the last two words and It asked a question: ‘I Am That, Am I?” The poem can be heard in the selection of Gysin recordings available in the gallery.