Ellsworth Kelly
American, 1923-2015
Blue, Yellow and Red, 1968
Artwork Details
Materials
oil on canvas
Measurements
support: 101 x 30 inches (256.54 x 76.2 cm); framed: 102 3/8 x 30 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches (260.03 x 77.79 x 3.81 cm)
Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1969
Accession ID
K1969:3
Throughout his diverse practice, Ellsworth Kelly focused on ways in which he could explore the dynamic relationships between color, shape, and form, significantly influencing the development of Minimalism, Hard-edge and Color Field painting, and Pop art. He also created some of contemporary art’s first paintings on irregularly shaped canvases. Blue, Yellow and Red depicts three equally sized, primary-colored bands placed side-by-side, extending the length of the painting. The leaning angle of this elongated parallelogram gives it a dynamic quality. About his approach to his compositions, Kelly stated in 1964, “I’m not interested in edges, I’m interested in the mass and color. . . . The edges happen because the forms get as quiet as they can be. I want the masses to perform.”
Label from Giant Steps: Artists and the 1960s, June 30–December 30, 2018
