Picasso’s CMYK Period, 2018 - 2023

Aluminum printing plates, emulsion, ink, solvent
70 x 68.25 in.
“At some point, probably in the Swinging Sixties, Pablo Picasso said something along the lines of “What good are computers? They can only give you answers.” I included this quote in President: “Why?” — my 2018 limited-edition tabloid newspaper — to emphasize the questioning nature that is essential to making art. In Picasso’s CMYK Period, the influential artist's words play hide and seek on the printing plates amid primary-colored amalgams of abstract expressionist smears, pop-art Benday dots, and Fluxus happenstance, continuing my lifelong obsession with mixing visuals and text: how words appear and what they say.”
Pocket MonstersTM Strobe, 2000
Gouache on color laser copy and collage
16 3/4 x 10 7/8 in.
God, What An Ignoble End, 2000
Gouache and pencil on color laser copy and barrier tape
16 3/8 x 10 3/4 in.
Fat Men and Little Boys, 1999
Acrylic, gouache and oil on color laser copy and collage
16 1/4 x 10 3/4 in.
And Where a Flabby Devil, 2000
Gouache, oil and pencil on color laser copy and collage
16 3/8 x 10 1/4 in.
Will Teach Us All How To Play The Blues, 1999
Gouache, pencil, oil and circuit sticker on color laser copy
17 x 11 in.
R.C. BAKER
Lives and works in Bronx, New York
ARTIST BIO
R.C. Baker (born 1960) is an artist and writer based in New York, renowned for his conceptual and multimedia work, as well as for his extensive tenure as an art critic for the Village Voice. His oeuvre integrates painting, collage, and text to develop multifaceted narratives inspired by modern history, particularly the turbulent mid-20th century. He holds an adjunct professorship within the MFA Studio Art program at New York University Steinhardt. His work exemplifies a sustained interest in the interplay between language and imagery, exploring how words convey meaning when combined with visual elements. His projects reflect a multimedia and conceptual methodology, emphasizing the exchange of ideas, processes, and historical references rather than traditional framed artworks. He is a New York Foundation for the Arts Painting Fellow, and his artwork has been exhibited at Zone: Contemporary Art, the Drawing Center, White Columns, the Center for Book Arts, and other venues in New York City, as well as internationally. His essays have appeared on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, in exhibition catalogs, and other publications. He is a recipient of Arts Writers Grants | The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and a recipient of Painting Fellowship | New York Foundation for the Arts. He is represented by Jennifer Baahng Gallery.
Related
The Brooklyn Rail reviews RC Baker’s solo exhibition, “…and Nixon’s coming” the draft
