Mass Tone: Manganese Blue

Contemporary Art

1974

Marcia Hafif
American, (1929-2018)

Since the early 1970s, Marcia Hafif has systematically examined the historical and technical fundamentals of painting. Her body of work is rigorous and investigative, with a resolute concentration on color manifested by exquisitely complex monochrome paintings. Hafif often employs paint mixtures she has made herself, grinding a pigment with a muller and combining it with linseed oil. Mass Tone: Manganese Blue, titled after the specific pigment used, is from the first series of paintings for which Hafif created her own paints in this way. Unlike commercial paint from the tube, which contains various additives and binders, her handmade paints can behave unpredictably. As Hafif has stated, this patient technique was chosen because it “let a color … express itself, reveal its multiple nuances.” Her process invites us to perceive each particular paint mixture as matter rather than simply as color.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Contemporary Art

Artist: Marcia Hafif
Title: Mass Tone: Manganese Blue
Place: United States (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1974
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 96.5 × 96.5 cm (38 × 38 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Society for Contemporary Art
Reference Number: 2013.1091

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