The forthcoming exhibition of 1960s paintings and collages by John Opper (1908-1994) will be the third in a series by the artist at the Washburn Gallery. The previous exhibitions of Opper’s work from the 1950s reflected his involvement with abstract expressionism. In Opper’s 1960s paintings and collages, color becomes the dominant force replacing gesture or surface concerns.
Opper spoke of his 1960s paintings in an interview for The Archives of American Art with Irving Sandler in 1968:
“To me painting is color… The idea of color making the form… I kind of feel these paintings are more influenced by Matisse than any paintings I’ve yet done…I’ve come to the point now where I just paint and let it come.”
The exhibition will be accompanied by a brochure with color reproductions, biography and statements by the artist.