Markus Amm begins his abstract paintings by laying down multiple grounds of gesso that he carefully sands to a smooth, matte surface. Next, with the painting laid flat, he begins pouring thin layers of paint on the surface, letting them run over the sides. Essential to this process is a moment of pause between each layer — lasting days or even years — where Amm engages in a deep observation of the surface as he allows the paint to dry and considers what to do next. As the painting’s composition begins to develop, Amm intervenes by sanding it down or by adding carefully calibrated brushstrokes, seen here in this untitled work from 2018. Amm’s work exists within the lineage of Color Field painting of the 20th century, though the small scale and calculated process in which he works locate his work within a more recent history of painting that is interested in process, technique, and a quiet interior state of mind, rather than a grandiose scale and emotional punch. Amm has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Kunsthaus Baselland, Basel and Kunstmuseum Stuttgart. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions in the US and Europe.
