Grids and Structures, Structures and Grids
Charles Caldemeyer is known for having two bodies of work, one that he calls structures and the other which he calls grids. I have often thought that he could’ve easily called both bodies of work structures. Afterall, a grid is a type of structure and the term structure encapsulates a multitude of organizational concepts including grids. But, the fact that he didn’t call both bodies of work structures is a key point for understanding grids.
His compartmentalization suggests a mental hierarchy, whereas structures are primarily an intellectual pursuit, grids are where he relaxes and enjoys the simple pleasure of moving paint around. He can play with color, value and texture without the burden of meaning and content. He can accept happy accidents without worry and let the paint guide him rather than the idea. Grids are a product of freedom or at least a rest from the intellectual rigor of structures.
Every time I look at Caldemeyer’s grids I find myself trying to place them within the timeline of art history. Sometimes I think they are rooted in impressionism, yet I know he is not a plein-air painter and certainly does not limit his images to only what he sees. In fact, I suspect very little of the finished paintings reflect the actual scene he may have drawn inspiration from. Then I start to think about abstract expressionism and the free form all-over mark making, yet, again grids defy my desire to categorize. The mark making is expressive and somewhat accidental, but there is an underlying stability and order that defies the loose accidental mark making of the abstract expressionists. Sometimes I even see the movement of symbolism especially in the hieroglyphic-like marks that make up the many layers of patterns and colors his grids are comprised of. The marks suggest an ancient archetypal language, maybe nature’s language of origin, the underlying language of the earth that speaks directly to the human soul. Yet, I’m not convinced that grids belongs in that category either.
In the end I’m left thinking that they would be better labeled as structures, because like structures, they are complex in their tension between opposites. Grids might be less heady than structures, but, overall the sense of balance and harmony created by his complex interplay of warms and cools, light and dark, pattern and irregularity, accident and intention, and complementary color is no simple task. Although, I understand why they are called grids, because it provides a justification, they are all structures to me.