Winand Staring lives for (and because of) water.
Winand Staring’s Waterworld
By Christina Vassallo
Winand Staring is first and foremost a colorist. His luscious swirls of blue and choppy strokes of green portray the mercurial tendencies of water in a familiar way while the colors on the opposite end of the spectrum are used to add a visual quality to the work that is not necessarily intrinsic to the subject. The kinetic whorls of citrusy oranges and yellows surrounding an ultramarine depth in Ice Waterman resemble a Doppler radar weather map. This imaginative rendering of water was influenced by the two decades Staring spent conducting ecological assessments of water resources and studying charts and maps of the local terrain. A depiction of water such as this shows Staring’s ability to achieve a delicate balance between abstract expressionism and subtle figuration, which is emphasized by his employment of titles such as Deep Seas, Furious Water, and Water Unites.
Staring’s titles evoke an attitude toward his paintings and help to emphasize the visual effect, much like the work of Paul Jenkins whose abstractions also relied on titles to make the connection to nature in his forms apparent. Winand Staring’s formal approach recalls the strong sense of movement and energy in Jenkins’s late-1960s paintings. Both artists avoid painting landscapes or waterscapes in the wholly traditional sense. Instead, they visualize their reactions to the sites, capturing the vitality and ever-changing cycle of life. Staring’s Water Reflections reaches a similar ephemeral and organic quality as is displayed in Jenkins’s work. "My paintings are about a quest for harmony and alignment," says Staring, "my concern for water forms an important part of that quest." The artist creates images which capture the essence of his ideologies and represent his beloved subject of water.
Abstraction of the Elements takes an in-depth look at the recent work of Winand Staring and puts the artist’s oeuvre in conversation with a roster of international artists who also represent nature through abstract art. Joo Hyun Kang, Pat Steir, and Susan Melikian Steinsieck, among others, are discussed in relation to the trend of abstracted nature art. The focus, however, is on Staring and how his paintings not only chronicle his spiritual connection to the earth but also remind us of how precious this resource is. Out of the twenty-one essays and excerpts in the book, nine are devoted to Staring’s work. Most of the other critical essays explore the direction in which abstract art is heading—either lamenting it or applauding it.
John Perrault’s essay, "Whatever Happened to Abstract Painting?" states that the art world needs a remedy for the presently neglected state of abstract art. In his essay, "Winand Staring’s Element," Jamey Hecht would have us believe that Staring is the remedy Perrault seeks. In fact, Hecht takes it one step further, all but dubbing Staring as the savior of contemporary abstract expressionism. Hecht’s reasoning is weak, arguing that Staring imbues his painted boxes with an "innocence and candor that is altogether surprising in an abstraction" and that Staring’s paintings require an interpretive leap is sufficient evidence, in Hecht’s opinion, of Staring’s artistic superhero status. But, doesn’t all semi-representative/semi-pure abstraction require an interpretive leap? Perrault may think that Staring can save the day, and although his paintings stir up a visceral response, abstract art needs a bit more help to regain the spotlight it once enjoyed. Mark Daniel Cohen’s essay on Jan Green’s and Peter Schroth’s recent gallery exhibitions and the Maureen Dougherty essay examining the daring color schemes in Hansueli Urwyler’s work let us know that Winand Staring has some capable allies.
