Leonard Rosenfeld
Compressed Bolt and White Nut, 1998, graphite on paper, 19 x 13 in, 48.26 x 33.02 cm
Leonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard RosenfeldLeonard Rosenfeld

Nuts and Bolts  In 1997–98 Rosenfeld ventured into something new—to some, abstract. In his words, “I had to start something, but what? I began to draw black lines on top of the paper. I worked my way down the paper to the bottom, drawing more black lines. Then I stepped back and looked at what I had. The forms I created on the paper had two distinctly different shapes. One form looked like a square donut. The other form looked like a beer can. I called them Nuts and Bolts. I sat down and stared at the paper. Interesting; I broke the ice. Now, how to proceed? How do I find colors I’ve never seen before? Or an architectural interplay yet untested?” One time, a visitor seeing these paintings commented that they were “abstract.” Rosenfeld disagreed—“No, Antonia. These are nuts and bolts!”

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