Sacramento Mall Proposal #4 1978

Frank Stella made "Sacramento Mall Proposal #4" with enamel on canvas, and looking at the crispness, the evenness of the colours, you get the feeling that he laid down these colours, one after the other, with real care. There's a satisfying, almost meditative quality to the concentric squares. Each colour has its own band, separated by thin, unpainted lines, and they recede back and back, pulling you into a kind of colourful vortex. The surface is super smooth; you don't see the brushstrokes, which makes me think about how Stella wanted the colours and shapes to do the talking. I love the way the colours vibrate against each other, creating this visual buzz that's both calming and energizing. The way he uses colour reminds me of Josef Albers and his "Homage to the Square" series, but Stella's got a boldness and a scale that's all his own, and you can see that he influenced painters like Peter Halley. Ultimately, "Sacramento Mall Proposal #4" isn't just a painting; it's an experience, an invitation to get lost in the world of colour and shape.