In Memory of Clement Greenberg

About In Memory of Clement Greenberg

An explosion of colour radiates from one side of the canvas in this extraordinary abstract painting dedicated to renowned NY art critic, Clement Greenberg. As a student, Joseph Drapell met and was influenced by Greenberg while studying at an American art school. This piece is rendered in thickly applied waves of shiny orange, purple, plum, white, and turquoise.
The Czech-born artist creates remarkably vibrant paintings using trowels, wide serrated blades, and his fingers to apply thick layers of colour. Drapell is known for his ‘compression technique’--applications of thick paint or impasto that produce highly textured pieces.

“…with modern materials, you have the ability to build up the impasto to an unprecedented degree, so I restored some of the spatial qualities that paint can have so that was my motivation.” Joseph Drapell

After emigrating to Canada, Joseph Drapell studied art at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. Inspired by the abstract paintings of Morris Louis, he experimented with different techniques to apply wide swaths of paint in thick layers. In the 1990’s he was a founding member of a group of artists called the New New Painters that exhibited together internationally. Drapell is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, and his works are held in both private and public collections in Canada and the U.S. Drapell divides his time between Toronto and a beloved island retreat in Georgian Bay.