In his essay Curves Evolve Shiff writes, “Mangold intended his Column Structure series…to test the possibilities of a vertical format at large scale…. each Column Structure…appears to begin and end arbitrarily at its outer edges. This effect stems not only from the wave-like repetition of the curving linear elements, but also from the fact that Mangold allows the organizing grids to remain manifest as penciled lines…. Mangold’s grids are more than mere guidelines for his drawing linear figures; they become guides for the viewer as well, clues as to how the entire work is structured.”

Marla Prather, in her catalogue essay A Curious Linkage with the Past that accompanies the Musée d’Orsay’s 2006 exhibition Correspondences—Robert Mangold / Paul Gauguin, traces the evolution of Mangold’s work up to his present Column Structure Paintings series. Prather states that “by adding the horizontal element above the column Mangold has opened up new paths for his increasingly dynamic figures, encouraging them to behave in unpredictable though never irrational ways.”

Painter Robert Mangold combines the classic elements of composition-shape, line and color-to create abstract works of architectural scale. His figures of thick, thin and doubled lines push the boundaries of their structure, heightening tension by overlapping, diverging and mirroring each other’s ascent. Mangold’s palette of soft grays, bright, crisp yellows, and burnt oranges, are as Prather describes “off-beat, difficult to describe colors not easily associate with nature or much else beyond his own canvases.”