By mastering the encaustic technique, Martin Kline has developed a practice that surfaces on the verge between painting and sculpture. Encaustic, drawn from the Greek word enkaustikos, meaning "to heat or burn in," is one of the oldest painting processes that involves mixing bees or synthetic wax with pigment. The way Kline manipulates the process simultaneously informs, dictates, and allows the creation of abstractions that unravel and highlight the physicality of the materials.

The heaviness of the material imbues Kline's canvases with a sculptural quality, while its nature – the swift drying of the wax – registers each movement and intervention within the artwork. This Winter, Heather Gaudio Fine Art showcases Martin Kline's sculptures and iconic paintings on panel and Belgian linen. The artist's fourth solo show at the gallery, Martin Kline: In Monochrome, traces the multifaceted significance of textures and tactility within Kline's oeuvre.

Tabula Rasa

Encaustic is one of the most demanding painting techniques that requires excellent skill, vast technical knowledge, and unwavering patience. Wax requires a specific temperature to be adequately mixed with pigment and hardens quickly, demanding swift and precise manipulation. Thus, the show Martin Kline: In Monochrome demonstrates the artist's mastery over the technique and explorations of the physicality within monochromatic, abstract representations. Reflecting that Kline usually works in series focused on a particular concept or theme, the exhibition features artworks from his Tabula Rasa painting series.

Martin Kline created this set of white paintings on Belgian linen by heating the wax material and applying it in reverse – pushing it from the back of the canvas through the textile weave to the front. Predominantly white, with slight changes in hue, density, and opacity due to temperature differences, these paintings refer to ancient stone tablets used for writing. The text was etched onto a wax-covered tablet that could be easily erased and re-used, and the blank slates later became a synonym for a clear mind. Compared to Kline's panel paintings, the heaviness of the linen series is determined by the surface, manifesting a minimalistic subtlety.

Jewels, Blooms, Blossoms, and Ledas

Exploring the diversity of texture, Martin Kline's paintings on wooden panels, also known as Jewels, Blooms, Blossoms, and Ledas, manifest a three-dimensionality achieved by heavy layering. Although abstract, the artworks establish a bond with nature and the organic both in their titles and their visually suggestive surfaces. Executed with a paintbrush, the encaustic paintings register each brushstroke, drip, and pour, documenting the artistic process.

Executed in rich monochrome color or two-toned, the wooden panels can support heavier material deposits, achieving a more robust sculptural quality. Light and shadow, thus, become instruments of visual impression, transforming the intricate artworks each time they are displayed. Martin Kline extends his explorations of materiality by casting some canvases in bronze or stainless steel, morphing from one medium to another, and blending the borders between painting and sculpture.

Martin Kline at Heather Gaudio Fine Art

The exhibition Martin Kline: In Monochrome will be on view at Heather Gaudio Fine Art in Greenwich, Connecticut, until January 6th, 2024.

Featured image: Martin Kline – Stainless Bloom on Easel, 1999, detail. All images are courtesy of the artist and Heather Gaudio Fine Art.