Rothschild characterizes her work as "magic maximalism"—a playful inversion of Minimalism, an art movement of the 1960s. Absolute Power was made by interweaving what the artist calls "sought" (not found) materials—such as posters, photographs, and postcards—to form a new image. Rothschild considers the accumulation of her materials to be an important part of her process, as it heightens her awareness of the images around her. She overlays geometric forms "with ideas of faith, death and magic," she says, not only to subvert Minimalism's rational basis, but to investigate the popularity of new Age spiritualism and the desire to find an individual path to spirituality. The Day–Glo paint colors—simultaneously seductive and repellent to the eye—pose a contrast to the drawing's romantic motif and evoke those used in Minimalist works.

Gallery label from

Compass in Hand: Selections from The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection, April 22, 2009–January 4, 2010.

Medium Cut-and-woven printed paper
Dimensions 119 x 84" (302.3 x 213.4 cm)
Credit The Judith Rothschild Foundation Contemporary Drawings Collection Gift
Object number 2925.2005
Department Drawings and Prints

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