The Touch by Donald Schenkel
The Touch by Donald Schenkel
By Donald Schenkel
Oil on canvas
140 × 80 cm, 2026
Wooden frame included
Donald Schenkel’s practice centres on reduction and control. Working in a single, deliberate layer of oil paint, he builds compositions that appear minimal at first glance, but reveal complexity over time.
In The Touch, a vertical line acts as both anchor and disturbance. It divides the composition, while at the same time activating it. The surrounding gradient moves from deep, warm browns into lighter tones and eventually into a cooler, almost atmospheric blue. This shift is not abrupt but gradual, allowing the eye to move slowly across the surface.
The painting balances clarity with instability. The central axis is sharp, yet slightly irregular, as if it is dissolving into the colour field. This tension between control and disruption is characteristic of Schenkel’s work. The result is a painting that holds attention without demanding it, unfolding quietly through light, colour and structure.
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Donald Schenkel’s paintings are part of a broader development within contemporary abstract art, where colour, material and gesture are approached as spatial elements. His work is characterised by gradient transitions, vertical interruptions and a restrained yet precise use of oil paint. Each painting is executed in a single layer, allowing no corrections, resulting in a direct and physical image.
Collectors and institutions interested in contemporary abstract painting, colour field abstraction and minimal gestural painting will find his work situated within an ongoing dialogue on material presence and perception.
