What is Conceptual Text-Based Art?

Conceptual Text-Based Art In Context With Conceptual Art In Music, Literature, Poetry, and More.

Working Draft July 2024

Introduction: What is Conceptual Text-Based Art?

Conceptual art, emerging prominently in the United States in the 1960s, in many ways fundamentally redefined the art world's approach by emphasizing ideas over the aesthetic and material facets of artworks. This intellectual revolution shifted the focus from the visual to the conceptual, prompting a broader engagement with themes and narratives that transcend traditional boundaries. The movement's influence extends into various contemporary artistic practices, including postminimalism, postmodernism, post-conceptual art, personal writing systems, and text-based art. This article examines how conceptual art integrates with and influences these diverse fields, drawing on the works of well-known and historically significant artists such as Cy Twombly, Glenn Ligon, Pope.L, Adam Pendleton, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, as well as an emerging artist, Adam Daley Wilson, who references, but does not replicate, these artists as he pursues his own text-based approaches in the contexts of post-conceptualism, postmodernism, postminimalism, and, at root, the theories and practices of conceptual art itself.

Conceptual Art and Its Evolution

Conceptual art's core principle is the prioritization of the idea or concept over the finished product. Artists like Lawrence Weiner exemplify this approach with works such as "A 36" x 36" Removal to the Lathing or Support Wall of Plaster or Wallboard From a Wall," where text articulates the concept, rendering material execution secondary. This intellectual rigor laid the groundwork for various movements that followed, influencing artists to explore new ways of integrating language and ideas into their work.

Integration with Postminimalism

Postminimalism emerged as a response to the strict, impersonal qualities of Minimalism, reintroducing emotion, process, and narrative. Artists in this movement often employed text to engage viewers intellectually and emotionally. Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger are prominent figures whose works embody these principles.

Jenny Holzer

Holzer's "Truisms" series, which displays provocative statements on LED signs, T-shirts, and other media, disrupts the viewer's experience by embedding text in public and private spaces. Statements like "Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise" force viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and reflect on societal norms, underscoring the neoconceptual emphasis on concept over form.

Barbara Kruger

Kruger’s work, characterized by bold typography and provocative slogans superimposed on black-and-white photographs, transforms the visual field into a site of critical engagement. Pieces such as "Your Body is a Battleground" address themes of identity, consumerism, and power dynamics, making text central to the artwork and encouraging viewers to engage critically with the content.

Conceptual Art in the Context of Postmodernism

Postmodernism, characterized by its rejection of grand narratives and embrace of plurality and irony, finds a natural ally in conceptual art. Artists such as Glenn Ligon and Cy Twombly use text and markings to explore themes of race, identity, and history.

Glenn Ligon

Ligon's work often explores the intersection of race, identity, and language. His use of stenciled text, as seen in his series "Untitled (I Am a Man)," draws from historical and literary sources, challenging viewers to consider the social and cultural implications of language. His works are a powerful commentary on visibility and representation, reflecting the broader postmodernist critique of identity and power structures.

Cy Twombly

Twombly's gestural paintings blend scribbled text with abstract forms, creating a dynamic interplay between language and visual art. His work, such as "Untitled (Say Goodbye Catullus to the Shores of Asia Minor)," incorporates personal writing systems influenced by classical literature and mythology. This approach emphasizes subjective interpretation and deconstructs traditional narratives, aligning with postmodernist principles.

Post-conceptual Art and Personal Writing Systems

Postconceptual art builds on the legacy of conceptual art by continuing to prioritize ideas over form while integrating new media and methods. This movement often incorporates personal writing systems, allowing artists to convey deeply personal narratives and critiques.

Adam Pendleton

Pendleton’s "Black Dada" series combines text, image, and abstraction to explore themes of race, politics, and history. By integrating language with visual art, Pendleton creates a layered narrative that invites viewers to engage with complex social issues. His work exemplifies postconceptual art's emphasis on the intellectual and the abstract, using personal writing systems to convey his ideas.

Text-Based Art and the Influence of Conceptualism

Text-based art has been profoundly influenced by conceptualism, as seen in the works of artists like Christopher Wool, Mel Bochner, and Adam Daley Wilson.

Christopher Wool

Wool's bold black text on white canvases, such as "Apocalypse Now," reflect an urban aesthetic inspired by graffiti and challenge viewers with stark, often abrasive language. His approach exemplifies how conceptual painting can leverage text to deepen its impact, creating a dialogue between the viewer and the artwork.

Mel Bochner

Bochner’s text-based art often involves thesaurus paintings where overlapping synonyms are executed in vibrant colors. His work explores the relationship between language, space, and color. Pieces like "Blah Blah Blah" use repetition and text to critique and play with linguistic meaning, showcasing the potential for conceptual paintings to engage viewers through language.

Adam Daley Wilson

The more recent artist Adam Daley Wilson’s works may be said to bring a fresh perspective to conceptual and postconceptual art, integrating his personal writing systems into his pieces. Wilson’s oil stick scrawl works, also known as his personal writing system works, such as his “New Cave Paintings” and his 2018 piece "Species Anasognosia," as well as his entirely different, flawlessly painted text sentences over ethereal Sugimoto-like horizon-line visuals, such as "We All Like To Look Away Sometimes (I Feel So Much Better Now)," visually reference everyone from Sugimoto to Cy Twombly to Christopher Wool to Ed Ruscha to Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger, and substantively they often reference and reflect on themes of the philosophical, as well as the implications of psychological conditions and diagnoses applied at the level of the entire human species to document and provide societal and cultural commentaries and critiques. In terms of execution, these oil paint and oil stick works are executed in variations of flawlessly legible and abstractly-illegible texts to create layered narratives that resist simplification, drawing viewers into a deeper engagement with the underlying concepts through both their semantic and their visual ambiguity and abstraction.

Cross-References with Other Art Movements

[This section is a work in progress. Last updated July 2024.]

Conceptual art's emphasis on ideas over form connects it with various other movements. Postminimalism, with its focus on process and narrative, often incorporates conceptual strategies. Postmodernism’s critique of grand narratives and embrace of irony also aligns with conceptual art's intellectual rigor.

Rosalind Krauss' theory of the expanded field offers a useful lens for understanding these intersections. Krauss argued that art should not be confined to traditional media but should explore a broader range of practices and ideas. This theory aligns with conceptual art's breaking of boundaries and integration of text, performance, and other media.

Analogous works in music, literature, poetry, and architecture also reflect conceptual strategies. John Cage’s use of chance operations in music parallels conceptual art's emphasis on process and idea. In literature, Jorge Luis Borges’ explorations of labyrinthine narratives and meta-texts echo the complexities of conceptual art. The use of text in poetry by artists like John Ashbery similarly blurs the lines between visual art and written word. In architecture, the deconstructivist approach, seen in the works of architects like Zaha Hadid, mirrors conceptual art's dismantling of traditional structures and forms.

Conclusion

Conceptual art's legacy is evident across various contemporary artistic practices, from postminimalism and postmodernism to postconceptual art and text-based art. By prioritizing ideas over aesthetics, conceptual art has paved the way for artists to explore complex themes and narratives through innovative methods. The works of Holzer, Kruger, Twombly, Ligon, Pendleton, Wool, Bochner, and Daley Wilson demonstrate the enduring influence of conceptual art, highlighting its continued relevance and transformative power in contemporary art. Through their integration of text and personal writing systems, these artists challenge viewers to engage intellectually and critically, ensuring that conceptual art remains a vital force in the evolving landscape of modern art.