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Keith Tyson – Four Elements 2008 – Fire, Water, Earth & Air 1980×7920

While many British artists opt for low-effort irony, Keith Tyson goes for the big issues: the nature of the creative act, the link between agency and chance, the production of knowledge. Or so he claims. But his recent exhibitionrevealed that rather than seriously investigating any of these themes, he is striking a pose.

The “Nature Paintings”series (2005-09) is an ensemble of mesmerizingly glossy enamels on aluminum or mirror. Whirlpools of pigment sweep across the shiny surfaces, raw colors bubbling up as if springing from unknown depths. Made by pouring paints and chemicals onto acid-primed supports, these paintings are said by the artist to escape his control, nature itself being responsible for the final creations (hence the title). If the idea is old-fashioned—among many others, Gustav Metzger and Yves Klein were using natural forces to produce artworks some 50 years ago—it is nonetheless appealing.

Yet unlike his predecessors, Tyson doesn’t truly let go. This is particularly visible in the four-panel Nature Painting: Four Elements (Fire) (Water) (Earth) (Air), 2008. With its sweeps of carmine and convoluted cobalt patterns, this large work achieves strikingly literal representations of fire and water, casting strong doubts on the actual part left to chance.