Casualism (art)

Casualism is a 21st century trend in art where the work reassesses conventionally accepted elements of art like color, composition, and balance to have unexpected outcomes rather than handsome results.[1]

An example of casualist painting: Amy Feldman, Goofy Gloom, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 79 x 79 inches

The term Casualism was coined in a 2011 essay which defined a new type of postminimalist painting that features a self-amused, anti-heroic style with an interest in off-kilter composition and impermanence.[1] These artists are interested in a studied, passive-aggressive irresoluteness that reflect wider insights about culture and society[1][2][3] Though the work may feel experimental and resist finality, it is still accomplished.[4][5][6]

Many artists responded positively to the essay and embraced the notion of Casualism,[7][8][9][10][11] while others rejected the term, suggesting it whiffed of 'labelism' and 'crypto-institutionalism.[12][13][14] The Casualist tendency continues to inform much work and conversation around American abstract painting.[15][16][17][18]

Sharon Butler, Tatiana Berg, Joe Bradley, Amy Feldman, Keltie Ferris,[11] Beth Letain, Lauren Luloff, Chris Martin, Rebecca Morris, David Ostrowski, Cordy Ryman, Jason Stopa, Patricia Treib, Michael Voss, and Molly Zuckerman-Hartung are painters who work in a Casualist mode.[19][20][21]

In addition to Casualist, the term "Provisional" has been used to describe paintings that might appear unfinished or incomplete; work that is intentionally awkward, physically fragile and unstable, that reject the display of conventional skills, or that discover beauty in unassuming materials.[15] However, Provisional painters, unlike the younger Casualists, suggest a kind of exhaustion, entertaining the impossibility of painting.[21][22][23] The older artists whose work is considered Provisional include Raoul De Keyser, Michael Krebber, Mary Heilmann, Kimber Smith, Richard Tuttle and Christopher Wool.[3]