Maltese Cross 1964

Al Held made 'Maltese Cross' with paint, though I couldn't tell you when. What's so compelling is the way it reduces everything to its most basic form. The colors are bold, simple, and unmixed, yet it somehow creates a sense of depth and movement. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the canvas, how the paint sits on the surface, and the sharp contrast of the colors. The black seems to contain the lighter interior and hold it to the flat picture plane. It's almost like a dance between control and chaos. There is no blending, just the stark contrast. It reminds me a little of Ellsworth Kelly’s approach to colour, or even some of the hard-edged abstraction we see in early Stella, but with a raw energy all of its own. In the end, art is just an ongoing conversation, and Al Held is just another voice adding something new to the mix.