Ed Moses, ILL. III, 1972
For some supernatural reason Los Angeles has always been a magical place for me when it comes to the arts. Nearly every time I enter an LA gallery or museum, I see something which changes my life- sometimes it's only in small ways, but every once in a while it's major.
On a recent visit to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) I was very fortunate to hang out and listen to and art world luminary- Ed Moses. He was making an impromptu visit to see the installation of his new exhibition.
Ed Moses has been an important part of the Los Angeles art scene for over 62 years, he is an artist whose work still feels fresh and relevant.
Born in 1926 in Long Beach, Ed Moses is considered "one of the most innovative and central figures in Post War West Coast Art." His work is all at once quiet and dynamic, much like the work of Agnes Martin. He has drawn from such imagery as architecture, natural forms, Navajo blankets, and Japanese fabric. Moses was also influenced by the work of Archille Gorky, Philip Guston and Piet Mondrian.
Ed Moses, Rose Screen, 1963
Moses' work was an anomaly, in Los Angeles, in the era of "Finish Fetish" and "Light & Space". Moses started deconstructing paintings (off stretcher) and dipping paper and canvas in other materials such as resin before it was fashionable to do so. His graphite drawings harken to a different aesthetic due in part, possibly, to his time in 1957 living and working in NY. Moses met artists such as Frank Kline, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko during that period.
Starting in the early 1950's, Moses was a key figure in a group of Los Angeles artists who showed at the renowned Ferus Gallery. These illustrious artists included Ed Kienholz, Billy Al Bengston, Craig Kauffman, Robert Irwin, John Altoon, Larry Bell, and Ed Ruscha- all now art legends.
Ferus Gallery Artists, 1958; clockwise from upper left: Billy Al Bengston, Allen Lynch, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, John Altoon, Ed Kienholz, Ed Moses (center)
Now frail with age, Moses (89) is the oldest of the surviving Ferus Gallery LA Artists. And although his body appears to be betraying him, his mind is still sharp for the details of his process, how he completed his artwork, and some of the anecdotes around their creation.
When Moses was getting ready for this LACMA exhibition of his work, he pulled out drawings from the 1970's and re-worked some of them!
Ed Moses, Mizuno Gallery, Los Angeles, Installation, 1969
Ed Moses, Untitled, 1975-77
Moses explained some of the process with charcoal and ink and his mark making, creating interruptions with materials such as common masking tape which he often left on the piece (non-archivally as he admitted) as a remnant of the process. He even liked the way the tape residue left a yellow ghost or "halo" as an outline to the strong charcoal lines which he allowed to "bleed" across the surface.
Ed Moses drawing detail- masking tape and yellow "halo"
Ed Moses explaining how he works with charcoal on a drawing, LACMA, May 29, 2015
Ed Moses, Cubist Drawing A1, 1976
Ed Moses, Untitled, 1977
At LACMA, Moses talked about the idea of mistakes and letting them "be" and speak to the artist. You could be working on one area of the piece and something magic could be happening on the other side. He emphasized that an artist needed to recognize this and not destroy it. To me this idea felt Abstract Expressionist, and is still relevant.
Seeing, then understanding, is the true artistic process.
Moses then turned his attention of the artwork from the 1970's created with resin, mylar, and chalk snap lines. These pieces definitely had the Native American sensibility to them, like woven wool in a finer form, ghostly and decaying- an artifact removed from the ground. I felt they were beautiful pieces. Some of my favorites.
both images- Ed Moses, early 1970's
Ed Moses (seated) in the middle of his work May 29, 2015, LACMA
Moses' final story was about how he changed his process after a near tragic incident with young sons in Spain. His children both had a horrible allergic reaction to something and were swollen, gravely ill. A doctor came and told Moses if his children didn't live, not to worry, he was young and could have more. Moses, still angry decades later, said after hearing this he wanted to put the doctor's "fucking head through a wall."
Ed Moses surveys his exhibition, LACMA, May 29, 2015
This experience, however, would change the way Moses thought about his work. He said before he would work on a piece until he thought it was completed, sometimes overworking it because things became too precious. After Spain he started to work on several pieces at once. None were more important than the other, and all were up for elimination if they became "uncooperative, difficult, or naughty".
Moses stated, much to my surprise, that he dumped about 2/3rds of his art because he felt it "didn't work."
Standing there with Ed Moses I understood in that moment this was a brave idea, and the ideal, and how it had to be when you are pushing, innovating, following your imagination. An artist had to take those chances and risk failure to get the halos, bleeds and ghosts- to find the magic.
LACMA, Los Angeles, CA May 10 - August 2, 2015
*All photos and video are courtesy of Suzanne Dunn, The Glass Box and LACMA. Please do not use without permission*