One gallon industrial high-gloss enamel, thrown
William Anastasi
American, 1933–2023
1989
A pencil and black‑ink drawing that documents the artist’s act of throwing a gallon of industrial high‑gloss enamel onto a gallery wall, turning a performative splash into an image.
The precise, faintly sketched room frames a dense, inky black blot at the center whose ragged edges and long vertical drips read as a violent, sculptural interruption against the calm white space.
By translating a one‑time, physical gesture into a measured drawing, Anastasi bridges performance, chance, and documentation, challenging traditional painting and expanding late‑20th‑century art’s focus on process and the gallery as an event.
Medium
Pencil and ink on paper
Dimensions
22 3/4 x 30 1/8" (57.8 x 76.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Sarah-Ann and Werner H. Kramarsky
Accession
73.2004
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
