Lawrence Calcagno’s Dark Sunbeds, executed in 1968, is a stellar example of the artist’s landscape contributions to the American modernist and early Abstract Expressionist movements. Part of his Sunbands series, Dark Sunbeds, is composed of Calcagno’s characteristically rich saturated colors bisected by a linear horizon. Masterfully balanced in color and form, this vibrant work on paper is horizontally bookended by bright yellow and navy blue bands, with a middle band composed of maroon, purple and red; in abstractly depicting a landscape, Dark Sunbeds reflects Calcagno’s lifelong fascination with nature.
A California native connected to the state’s Expressionists, Calcagno drew inspiration from the vibrant colors of his home state’s landscapes. Having grown up on a ranch in Big Sur, the artist ultimately refined his craft at the California School of Fine Arts under the guidance of Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt. Despite his Californian roots, Calcagno's work defies regional boundaries, shaped by his travels throughout Asia, Mexico, France, Italy, Egypt, and beyond. One destination, however, had a particularly lasting impact on Calcagno: New Mexico, where Dark Sunbeds has since been exhibited twice. Calcagno first visited New Mexico in the 1950s and returned in 1972 for a residency at the Wurlitzer Foundation, eventually making Taos his part-time home.
Calcagno’s work has gained a larger and more appreciative audience in the 21st century, finding a place in collections such as the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Denver Art Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art and others. His abstract, nonrepresentational landscapes continue to speak to the multilayered complexities of the environs he observed during his travels and youth. Though the painting’s inspiration and subject remain elusive thanks to Calcagno’s minimalist style, Dark Sunbeds stands as a testament to the artist’s enduring dedication to the natural and sublime landscapes that first inspired his artistic practice.