Maggie's Brain

Since the 1980s Christopher Wool has critically examined the complexities of abstraction and representation through the use of techniques, processes, images, and language taken from popular and vernacular culture. In his reconsideration of the process of painting, Wool has expanded upon the conventions of the medium, employing dripping, overpainting, and erasure with techniques associated with printing and language production, as well as silkscreen and spray paint. In Maggie’s Brain, the aluminum support is silkscreened, overpainted with white, silkscreened a second time, and then topped with an explosive, floral-like spray in the center. Multiple references—from the allover compositions of Abstract Expressionism to the cool, silkscreened surfaces of Pop Art—reflect Wool’s engagement with the history of painting.