Artworks

Cheyney Thompson

Chronochrome [2E], 2019

Oil on canvas

40 3/4 x 30 7/8 in (103.5 x 78.4 cm)

(Inv# CT20-017)

Originally convcieved as a singular, year long painting, Cheyney Thompson’s Chronochromes continue his use of the Munsell color system, a system derived in 1898 as an attempt to rationalize color through value, hue, and chroma. Mapping the system onto a calendar, Thompson assigned white to noon and black as midnight, each day assumed a unique pair of complementary hues. Continuing the use of enlarged fragments of linen, the paintings’ support, Thompson’s labor becomes the paintings true subject, as he tracks his work in vertical movements along the run of the canvas - marks made earlier in the day are of a lighter value, while those at night edge to black. Each work within the series shares the same height, yet with variable widths, allowing them individually to reflect single days, weeks, or months.