DALLAS, TX.- Road Agent presents the exhibition of new paintings by Dallas-based artist Ludwig Schwarz, on view June 30-July 28th, 2007. There really aren’t many true painters out there anymore—the kind of gifted and complex and strikingly intelligent painters we associate with great works and movements—and abstract painting is possibly the most complicated and challenging of all contemporary art-making processes, demanding a depth of knowledge and facility and well-honed instinct on the part of the artist, while requiring the viewer to engage and probe and transcend any potential intellectual laziness. Schwarz is the real deal; his large works on canvas are as knowing and satisfying and rigorous as we’ve seen in a long while.

It’s an interesting development. Schwarz is an artist whose work shows a remarkable diversity. His past exhibitions have encompassed sculpture, video, installation, conceptual performance, as well as painting, though to become a great painter, one must dedicate oneself to the process. Schwarz was recognized for his depth and complexity when he was shortlisted for the first Texas Prize; since that time, he’s focused primarily on painting.