New York born of Eastern Europe descent, Sanford Wurmfeld is an abstract artist whose primary focus is the study of colour relationships. Similar to Josef Albers, his canvasses combine hundreds upon hundreds of squares of colours which contrast, compliment, and ultimately interact with one another. Since I came across his work I’ve been fascinated by them.
Study For II-3H + White (Full Sat.) 1974
The viewer’s experience of his paintings changes with duration. Even at small scale the longer you spend looking at his paintings, the more mesmerising and fascinating they become. Throughout a career spanning decades his works became larger and more ambitious. I can only imagine his “Cyclorama” installations – continuous paintings made on canvas into huge oval cylinders which surround the viewer – are spectacular.
Cyclorama 2000, Osthaus Museum, Hagen DE