Maximilian Arnold (Born 1987)

Painter Maximilian Arnold takes a conceptual approach to his medium, producing compositions through which he explores the history and possibilities of painting. “I think my task as a painter is to analyze the medium of painting and what it can be today in the [digital] age,” he has said. “I am painting without painting and at the same time I am deliberately not giving up the frame in order to position my work within this long and loaded tradition.” Working at a large scale, he utilizes stretched, stained, and collaged polyester, digital prints, enamel, spray paint, and other nontraditional materials to create compositions that appear painterly—even though he may never use a brush to make them. Through such works, Arnold effectively demonstrates that paintings may be much more than pigment applied to canvas.