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Geometry in motion: Abstract painting in Nathan Chen's programs

It should be remembered that a picture – before being a war-horse, a nude, or an anecdote of some sort – is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order,

– Maurice Denis, French symbolist painter.

Abstract art (from Latin “abstractus” – “drawn away”) is a non-figurative, non-objective art, where artists distance themselves from objective referents and use the visual language of colorful splashes, lines, geometric elements in various combinations. Abstract art has many styles: abstract expressionism, suprematism, geometric abstraction, op art, etc. This genre uses colorful shapes instead of realistic images. Wassily Kandinsky, one of the founding fathers of abstract art, believed that one should not analyze paintings objectively, but an effect on the emotions of the observer.

Abstract artists aspired to perceive the world with all its phenomena, forms and colors. One of the main ideas of abstract art is the fusion of painting and music. Kandinsky described Richard Wagner as his inspiration. Dutch painter Piet Mondrian was fond of modern rhymes, jazz and boogie-woogie, and named his canvases after music pieces.

Figure skating is an amalgamation of music, image, choreography and technique. The debate on what is essential in the fusion of the athletic and the artistic sides is going to go on forever. Like abstract art, figure skating consists of prescribed elements such as jumps, spins, steps, and turns that strictly comply with the rules and, at the same time, appeal to the emotions of the audience. Skaters develop their own style and become true artists and creators.

For example, the American skater Nathan Chen is famous for his minimalist costumes and for building his programs around abstract images rather than a specific character. Nathan chooses music with short but memorable titles (Nemesis, Caravan, La Boheme, Rocketman), tries himself in various genres (soul, jazz, chanson, flamenco) and expresses a wide range of emotions in his programs.

Like many abstract artists with a solid background in traditional art and impeccable technique, in years as a junior Nathan performed classical programs. He also tried his hand at iconic references, like Michael Jackson and did so brilliantly. However, can we call him an abstract artist now? Well, why not. For him the ice becomes a canvas, technical elements turn into a palette of colors, and the athlete’s body transforms into a tool that creates the masterpiece.

photo cred. Toshifumi Kitamura / Getty Images

Suprematism is an art movement that uses geometric abstraction in combinations of basic figures like circles, squares, lines, and rectangles painted in various colors. Suprematists reject all references to the figurative world and “earthly” meanings. Their paintings lack directions of up and down, left and right. Like in outer space, all directions are equal. The experience of color and shape is processed through the lens of the observer’s internal world. Malevich's "Black Square" is the symbol of Russian avant-garde and one of the most famous paintings in the world of art.

Just like the “Black Square" was Malevich's calling card, Nathan's short program “Nemesis” (music by Benjamin Clementine, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) is the most recognizable in the skater’s career. Like a magnet, it captures attention of the audience at the rink as well as the ones watching the livestream. The simple costume, the sharp movements, the performance full of rebellion – all had the energy of a diamond in the rough of the rarest black color. Here Nathan is not a lyrical hero. Instead, like a suprematist, he portrays a strong emotion and ignites intense feelings to the powerful vocals of Benjamin Clementine. Nathan named “Nemesis” his favorite program where he could be himself. The skater flies over the ice with the resolve of an inescapable fate, reminding us that Nemesis was the goddess of revenge and the mother of karma (Nemesis is, Nemesis is, Nemesis is the mother of Karma). And like the “Black Square”, one can love or hate this program, but it is impossible to forget.

photo cred. Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

One of the ideas of abstract expressionism was to abandon structured composition and to produce large-scale, non-objective imagery. This movement developed in the United States and was considered purely American in spirit, being monumental, romantic and highlighting the serious questions of individual freedom. Barnett Newman believed that an artist is a choreographer of space. He infused his paintings with harsh flat color, thus predating the minimalist artists. A distinctive feature of his works – the so-called “zipper" – defined the structure of the paintings.

The music from the movie “Desierto” accompanies Nathan’s long program “Land of All” (music by Woodkid, choreography by Marie-France Dubreuil and Samuel Chouinard). The movie tells us about the fates of immigrants in the United States. Chen said he was not aiming to cover this topic and fill his performance with political meaning. Instead the program highlights the subject of individual freedom with the key message clearly stated in the lyrics (I came to break the wall that rose around you to see the land of all). The dark, gloomy atmosphere of the program foreshadows the danger and suggests seeking a way out. Newman said that we are making cathedrals “out of ourselves, out of our own feelings”. In his long program beginning with the lyrics "I took a chance to build a world of mine", Nathan showed that the solution lies in the individual freedom, in the freedom to choose and to express oneself.

photo cred. Raj Mehta / USA TODAY Sports

The term “hard-edge painting” was coined by the writer, curator and the Los Angeles Times art critic Jules Langsner. While studying the works of several painters, he found something  they had in common, namely a particular sharpness of edge and a clarity of color. This style of painting developed among Californian painters as their reaction to the more painterly or gestural forms of abstract expressionism. At that time Langsner worked on an exhibition, featuring works of Karl Benjamin. This exhibition was called the “California Hard edge”. 

The short program “Caravan” (music by Duke Ellington performed by Fanfare Ciocărlia, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) is another iconic program of Nathan’s. The idea of the program belonged to the choreographer. Nathan described this program as a fun opportunity to dance to the music that people would actually want to dance to. Interestingly, Nathan chose the long program music in contrast to the short one. A simple costume and his naughty curls, high technical difficulty and the evocative footwork full of playful choreography, Western jazz flavored with notes of the East – all these make “Caravan” the cheerful and sunny performance that you would enjoy watching over and over again. 

photo cred. Margarita (zhem_chug) Voronkovskaya

Action painting is a genre in which the paint is spontaneously splashed or dribbled onto the canvas. The finished painting becomes a physical manifestation of art. It seems that an artist acts unconsciously, bringing their pure emotions to the canvas. They create a painting publicly, making a kind of performance from their actions and splashes of paint. Jackson Pollock, being one of the best known representatives of the movement, considered his style of work spontaneous and emotional. He defined it as "a natural growth out of a need", when spontaneous painting was directed by the subconscious instruments of creativity.

Nathan’s long program “Rocketman” (soundtrack to the movie “Rocketman”, choreography by Marie-France Dubreuil and Samuel Chouinard) can be regarded as an anthem to movement and athleticism. Complicated jumps matching music accents required lots of strength and concentration from the athlete, at the same time preparing the audience for the blast of emotions in the final choreographic sequence. His loose hip-hop movements had an organic quality of a dance floor improvisation. His passionate performance brought the house down again and again. In the act of creation the skater turned the ice into the canvas, splashing steps and turns like paint. And only when the music ended could the athlete and the audience breathe out. The program can be divided into two emotionally different parts. At first the skater presents the audience with a series of gorgeous quad jumps that set the rhythm of the performance like a metronome. And then he launches the explosive choreography of his final choreo sequence in the end.

photo cred. Jay Adeff / U.S. Figure Skating

The term “neoplasticism” was coined by an artist named Piet Mondrian. The guiding principle of the style was the dynamic equality of the horizontal and vertical lines painted with the primary blue, red, and yellow. Mondrian created his unique works from the basic geometric compositions. He perceived the world as a contrast of the vertical and the horizontal, the positive and the negative, the masculine and the feminine. The asymmetry of figures that we see in his paintings symbolizes unity and synergy of the Universe. The works of Mondrian influenced many contemporary artists. Many styles of modern art like minimalism and pop art hail back to Mondrian and the "De Stijl" group. 

In Nathan's long program of the 2020/2021 season (Selections from Philipp Glass, choreography by Shae-Lynn Bourne) the first thing that immediately catches one’s attention is the bright royal blue color of the shirt and absence of decoration except one vertical line of the same royal blue but of a different fabric. Mondrian considered the vertical line to be a symbol of masculinity. According to him it began at the center of the Sun. This is a totally abstract program without a specific name or character. The spectators get neither hints nor limits and decide themselves whether they are watching a lyrical tale, or an attempt to find oneself, or a portrayal of the power of nature. The energy of an entire ocean is hidden in simple sounds, smooth movements and restrained expressiveness. And at any moment the ocean can turn violent and merciless. No wonder that as the admirer of the Dutch artist, the skater chose the music of the minimalist composer for his long program. Like Piet Mondrian, Nathan Chen creates his own minimalist aesthetic of movement.

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Studying the history of abstract art we can conclude that there were several reasons for this style to develop. The hope for changes in the pre-revolutionary society was one of them. At the beginning of the 20th century lots of people were tired of the dominant traditions in the way of life in general and in the arts in particular. They desired something new. The abstract art, which some would consider a kind of art extremism, gave them what they wanted. Without exaggeration abstract art became a new era in painting. 

The changes that are currently happening in figure skating can be undoubtedly called a technical revolution. No one is surprised by quadruple jumps and their quantity, or the age and gender of the skaters. It seems very soon everything will be attainable for everyone. Nathan is one of the pioneers of this revolution. In his programs he shows that athletes can be great technicians AND artists on the ice. And like true artists, athletes can now shed past restrictions and express themselves freely, showing all kinds of emotions, thoughts, and feelings in their programs.