Shallow Water

Painting

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

Shallow Water

Entry/Object ID

2018.15

Description

Layered paper and paint with pale blue accents over treated canvas.

Artwork Details

Medium

oil paint; paper; canvas

Acquisition

Notes

Collection of DePaul Art Museum; Gift of Shane and Julie Campbell

Made/Created

Artist

Prekop, Zak

Date made

2011

Ethnography

Notes

American

Lexicon

Getty AAT

Concept

Nature, philosophical concepts, ambiguity, abstraction, forms of expression (artistic concept), artistic concepts, collages (visual works), visual works (works)

Hierarchy Name

Associated Concepts (hierarchy name), Visual Works (hierarchy name), Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name)

Facet

Associated Concepts Facet, Objects Facet

Dimensions

Dimension Description

overall; canvas

Width

57 in

Length

84 in

Interpretative Labels

Label Type

Cultural/Historical Context

Label

Zak Prekop is best known for process-based abstract paintings that utilize thin applications of paint to create a transparent effect. Prekop’s large scale canvases reflect the artist’s engagement with the history of modern painting, from color fields to abstract expressionism. He often subtly integrates elements of collage into the work, typically in the form of paper. In some works Prekop applies paint to the reverse of the canvas or creates unconventional layers of material, contributing to a sense of optical illusion. Shallow Water is a strong example of the artist’s signature style of painting, as it includes layered paper and paint with understated tonality. Prekop’s use of color is delicate, as pale blue accents a primarily white and beige canvas. The color palette suggests water and sand, yet the composition is absent of any form of representative image. The application of paint and paper nearly alludes to stripes or undulations, yet remains ambiguous.