The Last Wizard 2000

Jack Armstrong's 'The Last Wizard' is a large abstract expressionist canvas made using paint. The title implies that this artwork is an homage to a creative individual, maybe a fellow artist. But what does it mean to be a 'wizard' in contemporary society? The painting's frenetic energy, with lines and color splashed seemingly randomly, could be understood as a visual metaphor for creative genius. Think of Jackson Pollock, the American artist who dripped paint in a similar way. But Pollock’s radical gestures were later absorbed into the mainstream art world. His work now hangs in the very institutions that once rejected his vision. Could this painting be reflecting on the fate of progressive ideas that are often co-opted by the status quo? Art historians might research the social climate in which Armstrong made this painting to better understand the artist's message. The meaning of this work depends on the context of its time.