“In fact, no one wants to believe that the work of art is decorative. But the moment one asks, ‘What do I do with this canvas? What does it become in this space?’ one quickly realizes that it is impossible to escape the decorative effect.”
— Daniel Buren, 1970

Daniel Buren (b. 1938) Photo-souvenir: Color, Rhythm, Transparency, 2004-05 Work in situ: The Double Frieze, Thannhauser 3, 2004-05 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Photo: David M. Heald, © SRGF, N.Y.

When many of his contemporaries were purging color from their work, Buren rejected the idea that eliminating color would produce a purer form of art. For him color is essential and cannot be substituted by words or actions. The artist has said, “[C]olor is not transmissible through text. . . . Color is absolutely, fundamentally inexpressible” (Bernard Blistène, “On the Power and Authority of Painting in the Work of Daniel Buren: 1964–1966: Reflections on a Brief Period of Time,” in The Eye of the Storm: Works in situ by Daniel Buren, exh. cat. [New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, 2005], section 2).

Over the years Buren’s work has become more colorful and visually dazzling, which has led some critics to deem his work “decorative,” a word that would be considered pejorative by many artists. To some, the term “decorative” signals unimportant art, made only to excite the eye and without critical merit. Buren, however, confronts and challenges these negative connotations and seeks to demonstrate that decoration is an integral and intentional element in his art. His spatial effects and colors are designed to provide visual pleasure. In fact, Buren is one of the few artists who acknowledge that every work of art—any object hung on a wall (painting) or placed on the floor (sculpture)—is decorative. He feels that the decorative is an inescapable aspect of art that is best confronted head-on.

Many of Buren’s recent works employ an abundance of color in both opaque and translucent forms. For the Guggenheim Museum, he has focused on the Frank Lloyd Wright windows that circle the Thannhauser Galleries and created a work in situ utilizing translucent colored gels affixed directly to the window panes that filter the light coming into the building and allow visitors to see aspects of the site that often go unnoticed. The museum has become a direct support for and part of the art. Reflections on the floor and ceiling further integrate the room into the work. Likewise, the view of the street and park seen through the windows becomes recognizable as part of the visual experience.

What Buren began in the 1960s as a process of aesthetic reduction has evolved into an open-ended exploration of color, material, and space in a quest to reveal the relationship between the work and its place.

• Do you believe that “art” and “decoration” are the same, similar, or very different? How can you tell the difference? Find an example of something that you believe to be “art.” Find an example of something that you think is purely “decorative.” Find still another example of something that seems to combine both qualities. What qualities in the examples you chose led to your conclusions?
• What do you think Buren found interesting about this space?
• Do you think this is a work of art, decoration, or both? Explain your answer.
• Buren has stated, “Color is absolutely, fundamentally inexpressible.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Can you think of ways that color might be expressed or communicated to a person who is color-blind?

• The terms “transparent,” “translucent,” and “opaque” are used to describe a material’s ability to conduct light. Transparent materials conduct light and images clearly and without noticeable distortion. Translucent materials allow light to pass through but diffuse it so that objects on the other side cannot be clearly distinguished. Opaque materials do not let light pass through. Find examples of materials with each property, and describe how their degree of transparency, translucency, or opacity determines how they are best used.
  Math / Science
  
  Visual Arts


• Just as paints will mix together to form new colors, light will mix layers of translucent colors to create new effects. Collect an assortment of translucent materials (colored tissue papers, Plexiglas, and cellophane). Using a light source (a window, electric light, flashlight, or projector), experiment with creating new colors by shining a light through two or more layers of translucent colored material.
  Math / Science
  
  Visual Arts


• You can explore the properties of translucent materials by creating a collage on a piece of clear acetate. Translucent color can be added with tissue paper, colored cellophane, pieces of plastic, and markers. You may also want to add some opaque areas (using materials that will not allow light to pass through). When you have a design you are pleased with, use diluted white glue or cellophane tape to keep it in place. Your design can be taped to a window or projected as a transparency using an overhead projector.
  Visual Arts


• The diagram below is an approximation of the design of the Frank Lloyd Wright windows in the museum’s Monitor Building. How would you create a work in situ for this space? What aspects of the windows and the building would your design consider? This project can also be completed on the computer. Using Photoshop you can experiment with configurations, layering, and adjusting the translucency/opacity of the colors.
  
  Technology
  
  Visual Arts