Dan Christensen, Painter Of Abstract Art, 64
DGH
Dan Christensen, 64, Painter of Abstract Art, Dies
By ROJA HEYDARPOUR
Dan Christensen, an abstract painter best known for his unfettered use
of color in various styles, including Color Field painting and lyrical
abstraction, died last Saturday [January 27, 2007] in East Hampton,
New York. He was 64.
The cause was heart failure due to polymyositis, a muscle disease,
said his wife, Elaine Grove.
In 1967 Mr. Christensen, finding the realism of his classical training
restrictive, began using spray guns to paint colorful stacked loops on
canvas, a technique that won him critical acclaim. He started by
spraying over square pieces of tape, then removing them, creating a
grid. The grids turned into tightly coiled loops, which graduated to
looser whirls and finally broke into strokes and lines of color.
Mr. Christensen was concerned as much with the interaction of colors
as with the process and pleasure of the act of painting, which guided
much of his experimentation. The spray paintings soon gave way to
saturated blankets of color underneath a coat of dark, and later
white, paint, in the early to mid-1970s. He would then use a squeegee
to scrape away the top layer and reveal some of the vibrant colors
underneath. These works were not as well received as the spray
paintings.
Daniel James Christensen was born in Cozad, Neb. He was inspired to be
a painter when he took a trip to Denver [Colorado] as a teenager and
saw some of Jackson Pollock's work. Mr. Christensen graduated from the
Kansas City [Missouri] Art Institute in Missouri with a B.F.A. in 1964
and started graduate work at the University of Indiana. But he
abandoned school and in 1965 moved to New York City [New York], where
he began his life's work.
Mr. Christensen painted until his death. His works are featured in
museums including the Museum of Modern Art, the Fine Arts Museum of
San Francisco and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Twenty-three of
his paintings are at the Spanierman Modern gallery in Manhattan [New
York].
Mr. Christensen is survived by his second wife, Ms. Grove; his sons
James and William, of Brooklyn; his son from a previous marriage,
Moses Lindebak, of Scottsdale, Arizona; two sisters, Marilyn David of
Estes Park, Colorado, and Kay Remus of Omaha [Nebraska]; and one
brother, Don, of New York City [New York].
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/27/obituaries/27christensen.html?
ref=obituaries
Hyfler/Rosner
"DGH" <peri...@eudoramail.com> wrote in message
news:1170007870....@q2g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> .
>
> Dan Christensen, 64, Painter of Abstract Art, Dies
>
> By ROJA HEYDARPOUR
>
> Dan Christensen, an abstract painter best known for his
> unfettered use
> of color in various styles, including Color Field painting
> and lyrical
> abstraction, died last Saturday [January 27, 2007] in East
> Hampton,
> New York. He was 64.
Hmm. Well, DGH, is last Saturday yesterday or a week ago?
You must get it right. How will you determine this?