214
PrizesandawardsincludethreeprizesinvariousexhibitionsatKansasCity
from 1935 to1938;HonorableMentionintheHallmarkChristmasthemecompe-
titionin1949;andaprizeatthePennsylvaniaA<ademyoftheFineArtsin1950.
OneofhisworkswaspurchasedfromtheNew^'ork\Vorld'sFairin 1939 andpre-
sentedtotheKansasCityArtInstituteandSchoolofDesign.Hehashadfiveone-
manexhibitionssince1936.From 1935 to 1941 Meerttaughtpaintinganddrawin.?
attheKansasCityArtInstituteandSchoolofDesign.Hisworkhasbeenacquired
byseveralprivatecollectors.HelivesinNewYorkCity.
MERRILD,Knud,DecayandResurrection,24'/J.x19'/j.
Illustration—Plate 12
"Idonottakeartforgranted.Iquestionitsuniversalvalue.Iregardmywork
asaninquiryintothisuncertainrealm,andhaveabandonedcertitudeforpotentiality
andnolongerconcernmyselfaboutmyworkbeingartornot.Imayanalogize,but
donottherebyseekrea.sonorjustificationbasedonpreviousexperiencesformywork.
Letitsufficeforwhatitmightbe.Itdoesnotsubmitto'reason'foritisbeyondthe
rational. 1 doubttherationalpowerofhumanity,oritsgubernation,seekingitsown
destruction.Everythingseemstodependonthewhimorlawofchance,accidental
judgmentbyaccidentalauthorityandforcedcause.Andbychanceandaccidentwe
liveanddie.Toreflectthis,Iattemptapersonalintuitiveexpression,where"laws'
ofaestheticevaluationbecomemeaningless.Therefore Idonotsubscribetoany
formerconcepts.
"\Vccan,then,startafreshtobetransformedinthe"F'lux".Iamseekingart,
perhaps,onlytorealizethatitdoesnotexistinitself.Itexistsonlyintheabstract,
indifferentindividuals'perceptions..Suchperceptionsmu.stbedeeplyexperienced
andlivedby,tokeepitaliveinitseverchangingFlux.Idea,belief,perception—all
isFlux,adinfinitum.
"'Flux'isawayoflife,idea,andart,centuriesoldinthoughtandtechnic,and
evidentthroughout theworld. 'Thephilosophywe wantisoneoffluxion and
mobility'saidEmerson.TheideaofFluxhasalwaysfascinatedmeandIhavelong
contemplateditspossibilitiesforpictorialpainting.InpursuingmypurposeIhave
hadtodevelopmyownfluidtechnique.Ifirstbecameawareofthepossibilityof
Fluxinpaintingin1909,butcouldnot realizeittcchniially....In 1942, 1 jiut
myselfhardtothetaskandde\elopedthetechnicIcall Flux'|).nnling.of\\liich
Ihaveexhibitedexamples[from]coasttocoastsincethen....
"ThemethodofFluxpaintingconsi.stsofapplyingliquidcolorstoafluidsurface
bypouring,dripping,orothermeans.Anaturalconsequenceoftheprocessisthat
orthodoxtoolsarcoflittleuse,beingreplacedbygravitation.Thepaintisexpelled
atvariousdistances,fromzerotoseveralfeetabovethesurface—paintingbyremote
control.Thepatterncreateddiffersaccordingtothevelocityorgravitationalforce,
andtothedensityorfluidityofthepaint.Theimpactoftheexpelledpaintwith
thefluidsurfacecreatesfissionsorexplosiveeruptions,moreorlessviolent,andthe
paintingissetinmotioninfourdimensions.Mutationsfollow,lastingfrom.seconds
toseveralhours.Wheninmotion,incessantmutationsofcolorandformensue,
untilarrestedinametaphorofitsownFlux.Leftalone,itbecomesanautomatic
creationbynaturallaw,akineticpaintingoftheabstract.Itcanbeinterferedwith,
intuitively,orcontrolledtoaprcconcci\cdvision,asshowninmywork.
