After a long consideration before an empty canvas, Jackson used his entire body in the picture-making process. He poured streams of commercial paint onto the canvas and with the help of a stick, he made the tools and conventions of traditional easel painting obsolete.
He tacked the unstretched canvas on the floor in a concept he equated to that of the Navajo Indian sand painters. He said that he felt nearer and more part of the painting when he painted on the floor.
When the Alchemy is looked at from a distance, its emphasis and large scale encourage the viewer to see the painting as an environment.
The interpenetration and layering of the labyrinthine skeins offer the whole painting a generalized and a more dense appearance. The surface surface has a wall-like texture in which signs are inscribed with white pigment directly squeezed from the tube.
The interpretations of these markings have relied on the title, The Alchemy.
Alchemy has returned to Venice, the Peggy Guggenheim collection, after going through a thorough conservation.
This time, without a glass protection. Jackson's work has gone through an extensive cycle of studies at Opificio delle Pietre Dure, in partnership with eleven Italian science organizations involved in the conservation of cultural heritage.
The unparalleled results will be presented in a multimedia and interactive installation, giving insights into Jackson's working methods and the science of conservation. This will also be an opportunity to see the painting for the very first time in its splendor after the long operation of surface cleaning.