Gerald Ferguson

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1968
"I began using modular units from readily available materials ... Eventually, I reduced the notion, that any material could be an art material, to the letters of the alphabet." As part of the Conceptual Art movement in the 1960s, Gerald Ferguson was involved in the search for novel ideas in which the concept and process were as important as the resulting artwork. His choice of the letters of the alphabet as a subject can be viewed in this spirit. Ferguson used the sequential structure of the alphabet to make this work. The process is mechanical, yet the result - calling attention to the subtle differences in appearance from page to page - is visual.
Title
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Date
1968
Medium
Drawing
Materials
typewriter ink on wove paper
Dimensions
27.9 x 21.6 cm; image: 22 x 16.5 cm each
Nationality
Canadian
Credit line
Purchased 1996
Accession number
38193.1-26