Cay Bahnmiller, Untitled. 1983-84. Oil latex paint on paper.
July 18, 2019
Cay Bahnmiller, Untitled. 1983-84. Oil latex paint on paper.
Cay Bahnmiller’s earlier works were significantly inspired by the urban design and planning of Detroit. They took geometric, grid-like shapes and often resembled maps, blueprints, and physical layouts of the city. However, Untitled strays away from Bahnmiller’s interest in Detroit and offers something more personal and introspective. It emphasizes Bahnmiller’s belief that art can be made out of any material, as her somber palette of browns and dark blues congeal in layers on the canvas. The dense and untraversable appearance of Untitled leans towards the emotional effort the Bahnmiller exhausted into all of her work. With emphasis on transition, the painting represents her keen sense of change and her ability to recognize when her emotions and the world were transforming.
Bahnmiller was born in Detroit in 1955. Due to her father’s job at Ford Motor Company, moved to New York for a couple years. After returning to Detroit for elementary school, Bahnmiller took an interest in painting. She would often take home supplies from art classes and work on her projects extracurricularly. Her passion for art led her to the University of Michigan, where she graduated with her BFA summa cum laude in 1976. She worked alongside artists of the Cass Corridor Art Movement and had a close relationship with fellow artist Gordon Newton. She has held solo exhibitions at the Susanne Hilberry Gallery and is permanently featured in the Detroit Institute of Arts.
This piece was gifted to the Wayne State University Art Collection by James Pearson Duffy in 2008.
Written by Marissa Nicole Gannascoli