ROBERT SAGERMAN

Robert Sagerman b. 1966 — Turning process driven artmaking into a transcendental experience, Sagerman's densely formed impasto paintings evolve from thousands upon thousands of strokes meticulously made with a palette knife, the title of each work corresponding to the number of marks within. His work is densely layered, creating depth on the two-dimensional canvas. Sagerman’s work almost appears to move when we look at it, as he layers colors that create this profound contrast on the canvas.

So layered are the canvases, that the artist hand mills his own oil paint from elemental pigments. In his studio, we see his multi-step process, as he creates the medium himself, then methodologically applies the paint to the canvas. To Sagerman, the medium is not simply its color, but a combination of substances. The artist also works in silicone. To Sagerman, the application of mediums is always building upon his past work, as he sees a kind of “limitless” aspect to his work.

Sagerman notes how the viewer is drawn into certain sections within the canvas, yet also can view this work as a whole. He also discusses the oblique view of his work, which grants another perspective of the work. As a result, Sagerman’s work carries multiple views, almost creating smaller works within the larger one. For the artist, these multiple views grant new ways of engaging with the work, heightening the enigmatic quality.

For over thirty years, Sagerman’s disciplined art practice directly correlates to his personal interest in the practices of Kabbalist Mysticism, an area in which he is a published Ph.D. Each individual mark or stroke draws from this meditative practice of counting in kabbalistic tradition. Sagerman sees this “Divine Presence” as his subject matter in his paintings, as the repetition allows him to enter this religious practice where his “mind slips into a kind of absorbed quietude.” When looking at his work, the viewer enters the infinite and endless aspects of Sagerman’s work, as one is confronted with the many thousands of purposeful marks made on the canvas.

Robert Sagerman was born in Queens, NY and currently works in Jersey City, NJ. He received his BFA (1990) and MFA (1998) from Pratt Institute. He also holds an MS in Art History from Pratt Institute as well as an MA in Religious Studies and a Ph.D. in Hebrew and Judaic Studies from New York University. Sagerman’s work has been reviewed by Art in America, NY Arts Magazine, Kunstforum International, Art News, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution among many others. He is in the public collections of the Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR), The Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum (Hagen, Germany), and the Museum Für Konkrete Kunst (Ingolstadt, Germany).