Vertical Band 1951

Ellsworth Kelly made Vertical Band sometime in the mid-twentieth century, probably with paint on paper or canvas. The way Kelly approaches painting is so matter-of-fact, like, here’s this thing, take it or leave it. The black stripe is so solid, so confident in its verticality, like a doorway or a shadow cutting through a wall. Look closely at how the black paint sits on the surface. It’s almost velvety. And notice the off-white surrounding it, not quite cream, not quite gray. It gives the black a certain zing, like a musical chord that vibrates in your chest. The edge of the black band is crisp, but along the right edge, there's a little wobble, where the paint has seeped slightly into the surrounding space. Kelly reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, in the sense that both artists take a very simple premise and push it to its absolute limit. It's this kind of reduction to the bare essentials that makes the work so powerful. It’s not trying to be anything other than what it is, and in that simplicity, it opens up a whole world of possibilities.