Dimensions: support: 1619 x 5131 mm
Copyright: © Ellsworth Kelly | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Ellsworth Kelly's "White Curve," a striking and expansive piece at the Tate. Its stark simplicity is almost disorienting. What symbols or ideas do you feel this work evokes? Curator: The curve, echoed in the negative space below, speaks of containment, of offering shelter. Think of the protective arc of a mother's arms, or the silent embrace of a cloud. The whiteness amplifies this feeling; it's a blank slate, pure potential. Do you see a tension between the sharp angles and soft curve? Editor: I hadn't considered that! The tension almost feels like a poised energy, like something about to be released. Curator: Exactly. It's a dynamic stillness, isn't it? Kelly gives us a symbol pregnant with possibilities. It reflects our desire for meaning, even in the most minimal form. Editor: I see it differently now, the quiet power of that curve. Curator: Art opens our eyes to the world, and to ourselves.
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Kelly’s unconventionally-shaped work lies somewhere between painting and sculpture. His works don’t literally depict anything but are drawn from observation of both the natural and man-made environment. He derived forms from things he had seen in real life - in this case it was inspired by the hill and valley forms near his home. ‘I think that if you can turn off the mind and look only with the eyes, ultimately everything becomes abstract’, he has said. Gallery label, October 2016
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