Painting as technology: Toolpaths and pathways in Cheyney Thompson’s work

Abstract

This article focuses on the experimental painting process of Cheyney Thompson (b. 1975). It is informed by French postmodern theory, principles of colour theory, and includes algorithms developed by the artist himself. Thompson’s practice can be understood as a continuous rumination on technology and the history of technology, as the artist explained in several interviews for this text, which also describes how his themes since c.2006 have been transposed into elaborate practical processes. The concerns and sources for his interrelated sets and series of paintings are wide-ranging, from the relationship between photography, printing and painting, to the Modernist grid, square and monochromy; how labour and time can be measured and mapped; and the role of the artist’s gesture, chance, and the influence of capitalist forces in the production and distribution of art.