Warren Rohrer: Greater Simplicity, Paintings (1978-1992), 2004
44 pages, Softcover
Published by Locks Art Publications
ISBN: 1-879173-63-8
In the fifteen years between 1975 and 1990, Warren Rohrer developed and perfected in his paintings the layers of illuminated color and precisely articulated surfaces that are the defining characteristics of his mature work. His application of discreet, incremental brushstrokes in orderly rows across the canvas surface creates an illusion of grand scale independent of the actual size of each painted canvas-a single example of the remarkable effects Rohrer achieved through his openness to interpreting and reinventing the landscape imagery that remained a constant source of inspiration for his work. In paintings completed during the 1980s, Rohrer embraced a more intuitive process in the studio. Experimenting with the physical surfaces of his paintings - Rohrer introducing layered veils of texture and clearly visible linear elements that imply a form of automatic writing or the furrowed landscape of the farmlands surrounding his studio. The small scale of these canvases creates a physical immediacy that unmistakably highlights these developing nuances of texture and imagery. Warren Rohrer was born into the Mennonite community of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite College in 1950 and studied art during summers at Penn State University. From 1967 to 1992 the artist taught at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). Rohrer first exhibited with Locks Gallery in 1974 and continually over the next two decades. In 2003, the Philadelphia Museum of Art organized a retrospective of his mature paintings.
