This article discusses the concept of "provisional painting", which refers to paintings that are deliberately unfinished or that give the appearance of being preliminary works that could later be changed. The article provides examples of artists who work in a provisional style, such as Raoul De Keyser and Michael Krebber, whose works either show signs of the artistic struggle or appear very effortless. Provisional painting stands in contrast to more polished, permanent styles and questions the emphasis on high production values in art. It aims to "rest lightly on the earth" and avoid presenting a finished product.

1. “Provisional” painting
pro·vi·sion·al/prəˈ viZHənl/ Adjective: Arranged or
existing for the present, possibly to be changed later.

2. •
“Provisional paintings can show signs of struggle and
can also look "too easy." In the case of easy-looking
provisionality, we encounter a paradox: the struggle with
the problematics of painting results in a painting that
shows no signs of struggle in the sense that the finished
piece displays a minimum amount of work (Michael
Krebber, for instance). But in other cases we can see the
record of the artist's struggles, though not necessarily
accompanied by Giacometti-style anguish (Raoul De
Keyser). But whether it looks easy or arduous, the
provisional work is always opposed to the monumental,
the official, the permanent. It closes the door on the era
of the high-production-value art market (Hirst-Koons-
Murakami-Currin). It wants to hover at the edge of
nonexistence. It wants to rest lightly on the earth.”
– “Provisional Painting 2: To Rest Lightly On The Earth”, Article by Raphael
Rubinstein – Art in America

3. Alberto Giacometti
oil on canvas
36¼ x 28¾ in. (92 x 73 cm.)
Painted circa 1958

4. Joan Miro

5. Sigmar Polke Streifenbild IV 1968

6. • Rubinstein writes of his increasing
awareness of provisionality in the practice
of painting that “deliberately turn[s] away
from ‘strong’ painting for something that
seems to constantly risk inconsequence or
collapse.”

7. David Hammons, Untitled, 2010

8. David Hammons, 2011 installation at L&M Arts, New York, NY.

9. Sergej Jensen

11. Sergej Jensen

12. Sergej Jensen

15. Provisional Painting at Modern Art,
London – 2012
Richard Tuttle (right)

18. Albert Oehlen

20. Christopher Wool, “Untitled”, 2007

21. "Untitled" Brendan Smith

22. “Provisional Painting”, “New Casualists”,
or “Un-heroic Painting”

23. Raoul de Keyser, “Untitled”, 2002

26. Provisional painting is “the finished product
disguised as preliminary stage” or “major
painting masquerading as minor painting.”

27. Martin Bromirski, “Untitled” (2011). Acrylic, sand, paper on canvas. 20 × 16˝.

28. Patrick Brennan, “Flow and Fade” (2011). Mixed media on canvas. 72 × 48˝.

29. Lauren Luloff

31. Bruce Price

32. Amy Feldman, “Ever After”, 2010
80" x 90"
acrylic on canvas

33. Scrapple Still Life, 2010
48" x 60"
acrylic on canvas

35. “By reassessing basic elements like color,
composition, and balance, based on 1920s-vintage
Bauhaus principles taught in every 2-D foundations
course, the new painters are exploring uncharted
territory. They are looking for unexpected outcomes
rather than handsome results.”
- Sharon Butler, Two Coats of Paint

36. Joe Bradley : Schmagoo Paintings, Installation view, 2008

37. “With the eclipse of Abstract Expressionism circa
1960, new modes of artmaking were discovered
in which the kinds of doubts that troubled artists
from Cézanne to Giacometti became largely
irrelevant. They were replaced by a solid work
ethic, by an emphasis on production, by
attention to surfaces (in both a material and a
psychological sense), by coolness, by social
rather than individual identity; in short,
Giacometti's gloomy, doubt-filled studio was
replaced by Warhol's Factory. “
– Raphael Rubinstein

38. Tatiana Berg

40. Isle Murdock, Ours, 2011. Oil on canvas, 14 x 18 in

41. "Considering the Provisional"
May 4th - May 27th, 2012
FJORD: 2419 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, PA

42. "Corner Painting" Hannah Hall