David Schutter's 'Neighbors' at Magazzino: Gray Paintings as Immersive Activators

David Schutter (Pennsylvania, 1974) presents 'Neighbors,' a solo exhibition at Magazzino gallery in Rome, featuring four small gray paintings of identical format. The works are based on Schutter's memory of John Constable's 'The Admiral's House in Hampstead' (also known as 'The Grove'), painted in 1821 and housed at the Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Schutter's method involves painting from the recollection of a single artwork, a technique he has used before. The exhibition is described as immersive without technology, relying on human intelligence and a 'logic of sensation.' The gray paintings, which are not uniformly gray upon close inspection, act as 'super-activators' requiring viewer surrender. The show explores distance and the space around the artwork, evoking a lateral vision that encompasses the entire environment. The review, written by artist and critic Luca Bertolo (Milan, 1968), draws parallels to the immersive quality of Rothko's works but notes Schutter's subtler sensory play. The gray references historical painters like Frans Hals, Goya, Manet, Gerhard Richter, and Albert Oehlen, but Schutter's grays result from different investigations.