On a blank canvas, the following paradoxical statement is painted in black: “Everything is purged from this painting but art; no ideas have entered this work.” At first glance, the statement rejects the concept-based formulation of art objects and elevates technical artistry. By stating that “no ideas” entered this work, John Baldessari (born 1931) parodies the contemporaneous trend toward authorial non-intentionality. His text paintings stemmed from the idea that “a notebook entry about painting could replace the painting” (John Baldessari, 1981). For Baldessari, it was crucial that someone other than himself would paint the canvas with texts appropriated from art books—a strategy that positioned the artist as the “strategist,” the author of the conceptual rather than the physical aspect of the work. Baldessari’s text paintings, like Paik’s Zen for Film, underscore the inescapability of ideas from their material structures, whether it be the traditional medium of painting or that of film. —CA

Image: John Baldessari Studio. The Sonnabend Collection.