Unlike many African-American artists whose art focused on the racial politics of the era; Loving was a staunch abstractionist. His early works were built upon strict yet simple geometric shapes—often hexagonal or cubic modules. Inspired by Hans Hoffmann (who taught Loving’s mentor Al Mullen), Loving concentrated on the tension between flatness and spatial illusionism. In the 1970s the artist became disenchanted with his earlier, hard-edge geometric paintings. Loving dispensed with notions of centralized composition, figure/ground separation, and pictorial frame in his later torn canvas and collaged paper works. He combined hundreds of pieces of cut and torn canvas or paper into an abundance of overlapping patterns and shapes, their rich and intuitive array of colors stretch irregularly, spiraling outward, surrounding the space, and engulfing the viewer.From the Artist
I use light, middle, and dark color values to create form. The ever-reoccurring spiral stands as a symbol for life and continued growth. By fusing both the rational and emotional aspects of life, I like to make art that is intriguing and beautiful.
—Excerpted from https://www.alvinloving.com/biography, accessed 7-1-2021
My mission in life is that of artist. My greatest wish is to continue my work and share it with the people.
—Excerpted from https://www.alvinloving.com/, accessed 7-1-2021
Abstract painter and printmaker Alvin Loving was born in Detroit, MI. He earned a BFA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and an MFA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In the late 1960s Loving joined the Once Group Organiza...
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