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Ellsworth Kelly

American, 1923-2015

Blue, Yellow and Red, 1968

oil on canvas

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 Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1969

K1969:3

More Details

Inscriptions

signature, dated / stretcher / KELLY 68

inscription / stretcher / #406

Class

Paintings

Work Type

Oil painting

Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms

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