Black and White from the series Line Form Color 1951

Ellsworth Kelly made this painting, Black and White, as part of his Line Form Color series. I just love it! I can imagine Kelly, brush in hand, thinking about the stark contrast, that simple yet powerful division of space. It's like he's saying so much with so little, you know? There's an almost meditative quality to it; a balance, a harmony. He was so good at reducing things to their essence! You can see echoes of his abstract approach in the work of younger painters like Jacqueline Humphries. It’s like a challenge to other artists: what more can you find in these basic elements? And how can you make the viewer feel something, maybe even everything, with them? He strips painting down to its bare bones and shows us the beauty of pure form.