Anthony Pearson – Blurring the Line Between Sculpture and Painting

Anthony Pearson (b. 1969), a Los Angeles-based artist, is renowned for his meticulous and sensitive application of processes and materials. He initially began his practice with photography, where he explored the formal boundaries of the medium, leading him to cultivate a visual language grounded in abstraction that investigates the conflicts between positive and negative, lightness and darkness.

He continues to examine these dichotomies through various materials such as plaster, bronze, and clay, which he then elevates to evoke subtle, yet powerful, poetic moments.

Anthony Pearson, Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, Hydrocal in lacquer coated maple frame, 151.8 x 111.1 x 11.4 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery
Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, Hydrocal in lacquer coated maple frame, 151.8 x 111.1 x 11.4 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery
Anthony Pearson, Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, Hydrocal in lacquer coated maple frame, 151.8 x 111.1 x 11.4 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery
Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, Hydrocal in lacquer coated maple frame, 151.8 x 111.1 x 11.4 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery

From 2006 onwards, Pearson has consistently explored and experimented with sculpture, turning his first use of gypsum cement into bronze castings. He himself says that he was dissatisfied with his photographic work because the “intensity of the real world could never be accurately rendered in photographs.”

Anthony Pearson, Untitled (Etched Plaster), 2018, Pigmented hydrocal in walnut frame, 152.4 x 62.2 x 7.6 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery
Untitled (Etched Plaster), 2018, Pigmented hydrocal in walnut frame, 152.4 x 62.2 x 7.6 cm © The Artist, Photography via Marianne Boesky Gallery
Minimalist art by Anthony Pearson
Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, pigmented Hydrocal in walnut frame, 72.4 x 54.6 x 8.3 cm © The Artist, Photography by David Kordansky
Anthony Pearson, Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, pigmented hydrocal in walnut frame, 72.4 x 54.9 x 8.9 cm © The Artist, Photography by Lee Thompson via Jason Haam
Untitled (Plaster Positive), 2015, pigmented hydrocal in walnut frame, 72.4 x 54.9 x 8.9 cm © The Artist, Photography by Lee Thompson via Jason Haam

Aesence is an independent art and design publication dedicated to minimalist aesthetics. Founded out of a deep appreciation and fascination, Aesence aims to promote awareness and appreciation of minimalism in art and design.