Exhibition Title Here
First reviews will appear here as exhibitions are attended and writing begins. Each review will link to the full piece.
Matt Black writes about painting.
Forty years of criticism focused on material intelligence, philosophical seriousness, and work that resists fashion. Currently contributing to Aesthetics Monthly, The London Review of Paintings, and founding editor of Online Art.
Site under construction. This is the beginning of Matt Black's digital archive. Reviews and essays will be added as they're written. Check back soon.
Recent Reviews
Essays & Columns
Material Matters
Long-running column examining paint as substance, philosophical inquiry through material, and the intelligence of surfaces. Archive forthcoming.
About
Matt Black has been writing about art for over forty years, beginning with Raw Canvas in 1982 and continuing through major publications including The Art Magazine, The Sunday Review, and Studio International.
His critical approach combines philosophical depth with material intelligence, championing painting's continued relevance while remaining skeptical of fashion and theory-driven posturing. He founded Online Art in 2011, demonstrating that digital platforms could support serious long-form criticism.
Author of Painting After Theory (2003) and The Colour of Thinking (2008). Currently writing his monthly "Material Matters" column for Aesthetics Monthly and contributing to The London Review of Paintings and Canvas Quarterly.
Black is currently following the work of Oxford Scholar Artists, a schizo-analytic collective working at the intersection of painting, philosophy, and human-AI collaboration. He also maintains dialogue with Jonathan Williams, whose phenomenological approach to aesthetics intersects with questions of material intelligence and contemplative practice.
Contact
For review copies, press inquiries, or commission opportunities:
matt@mattblack.me.uk