Reconstructing the Canvas

Humans possess reason, which distinguishes them from other living creatures. However, the existence of reason also causes humans to become dissatisfied with things as they are. This drives them to change, abandon, or add to things that are considered outdated in pursuit of improvement. The same phenomenon occurs in the world of art, where every artist strives to critically examine creative works in relation to what has come before. Through this process, often unconsciously, humans continue to open up new possibilities concerning the seemingly limitless values of truth and perfection.

Based on this understanding, the author subjectively explores alternative possibilities for the use of canvas as a material that can still be developed and realized within the practice of painting. This exploration begins with reflections on the limitations and possibilities of the medium commonly used in painting, particularly canvas. In essence, canvas is simply a flexible piece of fabric. In practice, however, it is stretched and mounted onto a stretcher, resulting in a flat, vertical, and rectangular painting surface. This conventional arrangement serves to establish the concept of flatness in modern painting, as articulated by Greenberg: “Because flatness was the only condition of painting shared with no other art.”

The author recognizes that the use of canvas as a medium in painting is contextually dependent on the identity of this conventional medium and on perceptions of flatness. The contextual relationship between canvas as a material and the practice of painting is highly subjective and remains flexible, depending on the situations and conditions encountered. Within the context of painting, this gives rise to various implications for the expression of ideas and artistic considerations. The author seeks to reconstruct the understanding of painting by reintroducing the inherent flexibility of canvas, which has conventionally been perceived as rigid and flat, through the introduction of an additional dimension behind its surface. This visual form draws inspiration from bubbles that emerge on damp walls. The selection of this form becomes a stimulus for restoring the fundamental characteristics of canvas. Although different dimensions are introduced behind the canvas, the principle of flatness in painting remains maintained. For the author, these three-dimensional curved or bulging forms emphasize the illusory relationship between a series of interconnected flat surfaces, each positioned at different angles of inclination, ultimately creating a surface that appears curved, dimensional, and volumetric.

The curved surface of the canvas reflects the artist's subjective perspective. This perspective relates to the way the artist perceives a curved surface as a flat plane viewed from different angles of inclination, ultimately rendering the concept of “flatness” in painting non-absolute. Furthermore, the use of canvas as the primary material in the artwork can be understood as the artist's statement that the work continues to adhere to the fundamental principles of conventional painting. The use of acrylic paint on canvas as one