Julian Schnabel

Untitled (Armida)

Oil on cowhide

152.4 x 101.6 cm

Painted in 2010

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Julian Schnabel (born 1951) is a painter and filmmaker known as an integral member of the American Neo-Expressionist movement. He is best known for his gestural application of paint on canvases and for his use of unconventional materials, such as fabric and broken plates. These materials give a three-dimensionality to Schnabel’s work, thereby blurring the line between painting and sculpture.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Julian Schnabel’s collage-style paintings often include text interspersed with shapes. Inspired by the style of Spanish and Italian Old Masters, he frequently includes words in Italian and Spanish. According to Schnabel, ‘I embrace the subjectivity of the written word and the many forms it can take, and the different meanings that are possible to different viewers depending on where they are from’. By incorporating words into his paintings, Schnabel encourages personal interpretations.

The word ‘Armida’ comes from Torquato Tasso’s 16^th century epic poem, which tells the story of Armida, a beautiful Muslim sorceress who has been ordered to murder a Christian warrior, but instead falls in love with him. Schnabel’s use of the word ‘Armida’ evokes the dramatic heroin and infuses the painting with Baroque energy, combined with the material richness of the animal skin canvas.