Copyright: (c) Ellsworth Kelly, all rights reserved
Ellsworth Kelly made this 'Triangle Form' with what seems like simple paint on paper. It's deceptive though, because simple doesn't mean easy. Look at the almost brutal flatness of the black triangle, set against the creamy off-white of the paper. The triangle isn't quite perfect, is it? The edges waver ever so slightly, and the density of the black shifts, a testament to the hand that guided the brush. It's like Kelly is saying, "Here's a triangle, but it's also a painting, a physical thing made with labor." This piece reminds me of early Sol LeWitt, in the sense that they both use simple shapes to achieve complex questions around what the viewer perceives and how they perceive it. What's more important, the idea of the shape, or the shape itself? There is no correct answer! What do you think?
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