The artistic techniques of Renaissance paintings, the geometric abstraction of early 20th-century Futurism, and the emotional paintings of Color Field painters are all explored in Mark Grotjahn’s work.
Grotjahn’s style has evolved from being precise and mathematical in his earlier work to being more emotive. His latter paintings include fiercely layered streaks of bright impasto that radiate from an undefined core. His earlier works were often created in oil on sheets of cardboard attached to linen.
The history of geometric modernism in the works of artists like Mondrian and Malevich, and experimentation in musical and cinematic composition, as well as typographic design, are only a few examples of the artist’s context-dependent inspirations.