Displayed in the Modern and Contemporary exhibit of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City are a couple large scale canvas work done by American Artist Mark Bradford. The abstract work titled Duck Walk is a mixed media on canvas work that was created in 2016. This work is composed of two canvases that are bound together. In general, the color scheme is very neutral with the base of the canvas being white with a large portion of the canvas covered in black, grey and sections of brown and yellow. The work is very abstract and shows movement and energy as well as a balance of light and dark. The canvas on the left shows more white of the canvas with small sections of black, brown and tan tones while the right has a large amount of black and grey to it with some yellow. The artist used string and glue that is sanded down to create different shapes and textures as well as bleach and water to dilute the black and white paper stocks to create new tones.
This work is filled with energy and is an expression of emotion by the artist by finding common items all around him in his environment to build his work. He then wears away sections creating texture and tones created by the environment around him. It is a way for him to show how a person can build up themselves and then everything that is around a person can modify who they are. Holes can be created, but a person is not defined simply by damages. This could be a representation of how every story has two parts and together they create one bigger story. Both sides are complex and fighting to show their opinion and story, but both sides are needed to understand what is happening.
Art & Sustainability 