Untitled 1965

This untitled print was made in 1965 by Max Bill. It’s a study of pure, unadulterated color. Red, yellow and blue, the old favorites, all neatly arranged into geometric shapes, and printed onto the page. What I love about this piece is how much tension Bill manages to generate by simply placing these shapes in proximity to one another. The red and blue triangles mirror each other, divided by two stripes of yellow, yet they never quite touch. There's this little sliver of creamy white paper peeking through, and it's almost as if the colors are repelling one another. The surface is smooth and flat, and you just know this was a meticulously planned endeavor. Bill was a student of the Bauhaus, and you can totally see it in this piece. The legacy of artists like Josef Albers, who explored color relationships through hard-edged abstraction, is palpable. But whereas Albers' work is often about layering and transparency, Bill's print feels more declarative, more self-contained. It's a testament to the idea that simplicity can be incredibly powerful, even a little bit unnerving.