Robert Ryman White Paintings Survey Opens at Barbican Art Gallery, London

A review in The Guardian examines the Robert Ryman exhibition at Barbican Art Gallery in London, focusing on the artist's use of white paint and its perceptual effects. The show consists of paintings that are variations on the theme of white, with white paint applied to flat surfaces and wall fixtures. The reviewer argues that writing about such painting is inherently difficult, especially when the works are so reductive, and suggests that the paintings resist language and theory. Instead, they offer a direct encounter with materials: how the paint lies and scatters light. The review notes that the canvases may initially appear indistinguishable, but they provide challenges, revelations, and transcendental effects if viewers give themselves over to them. The author frames the works as a reaction against art that depends on language, calling them the 'real thing' in the most literal sense because they do not tell a story or require knowledge of abstruse theories. The question posed is how much the viewer enjoys looking at paint, and the reviewer, for whom looking at paint is a non-negotiable part of the job, finds the experience rewarding. The exhibition is on view at Barbican Art Gallery, London.