Space to expand how frank stella looks at abstract painting. His father was a gynecologist, and his mother was an. Michael auping, chief curator at the modern, characterizes stellas work as dynamically physical. The vast space, more easily traversed by golf cart than on foot. He was interested in art since elementary school, although he avoided realistic drawing, because, as he has often admitted, he really wasnt very good at it. Stella turns from artists to art critic, and it gives a great insight to. First, we will want to know about the attitudes that have so often made. In working space, stella develops the thesis that the crisis in modern abstrction is analogous to that in representational art in. In 1959, stellas blackstriped paintings were positively received by the new york art scene. This retrospective is the most comprehensive presentation of stellas career to date, showcasing his prolific output from the mid1950s to the present through approximately 100 works, including paintings, reliefs, maquettes, sculptures, and drawings. Frank stellas work makes its way to the modern fort. Working space affords a rare opportunity to view painting from the inside out, through the eyes of one of the worlds most prominent abstract painters. First, we will want to know about the attitudes that have so often made stellas painting prominent in the last quarter of a. Stella uses the crisis of representational art in sixteenthcentury italy to illuminate the crisis of abstraction in.
Space an exhibition featuring work by frank stella at the jewish museum, ny. The works in frank stella s scarlatti kirkpatrick series, says curator elsa smithgall, have a lightweight, dynamic quality. Our studio will take a series of lectures given as the charles eliot norton lectures by the painter frank stella at harvard university in 198384 as the outset for our work. Anders wahlstedt fine art is pleased to present an exhibition of select prints by frank stella from his celebrated imaginary places series. Hood museum of art, dartmouth college, hanover, nh. A great frank stella artwork comes home to boston as a mural. This often led to experimentation not only in form, but also material. Anyone artist or viewer who might be feeling somewhat jaded about the state and fate of abstract painting in the 1980s and beyond could do a lot worse than read working space, by frank stella. Working space by frank stella, 97806749596, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Frank stella s working space is the publication of a series of charles eliot norton lectures given in 19834.
Experiment and change emphasizes the variety of expression found throughout his entire body of work. The detail in melville is beautiful and he tries to sustain you during the trip and to indulge you in the language, he explains to the us art historian andrianna campbell in our new book. Frank stella is the author of working space charles eliot norton lectures 4. By this time of course, stellas heyday was long gone the 1960s, when michael fried and his acolytes could fuss over whether the latest stella could compel conviction. A frank stella retrospective, at the whitney the new yorker.
Space to expand how frank stella looks at abstract. Working space, the charles elliot norton lectures, harvard university press, 1986, 60. A joint exhibition of the work of frank stella presented by the modern art museum of fort worth and the whitney museum of american art. He moved to new york in 1958, where he developed his artistic talents.
Working space affords a rare opportunity to view painting from the inside out. The creation of such autonomous working space is stellas real subject. Frank stella has done this in his charles eliot norton lectures at harvard, with considerable erudition, great verve and genuine originality. At the time, i was working for julian schnabel and was more in his camp, as well as polke, beuys and oehlen when it came to making things, but one day i did buy a copy of stellas book, working space, which was based on some lectures he gave at harvard in the 1960s. Aug 01, 2008 frank stella born may 12, 1936 is an american painter and printmaker. You will finish your drawing inspired by frank stellas artwork by coloring in some of your shapes.
Get the best deal by comparing prices from over 100,000 booksellers. The constellation of frank stella the new york times. Working space the charles eliot norton lectures by frank stella. It doesnt have to make sense, except at the end, when its over. Frank stella born may 12, 1936 is an american painter and printmaker. Mar 29, 2016 in stellas book, working space, he says, the aim of art is to create space space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space in which the subjects of painting can live. Use markers and colored pencils to color in the positive space of your artwork. I also found this book in the aaa library, written by frank stella himself, he compares the representational paintings during the 16 th century to the abstract paintings of the 20 th century. Frank stella born 1936, american painter, was one of the most dominant and influential figures in abstract painting during the 1960s through the 1990s. Damascus gate stretch variation i 1970 was one of the seminal paintings that made frank stella one of americas great modern artists.
John golding, the times literary supplement this is a marvelously insightful and thoughtprovoking book stellas perception of the problem is correctabstraction has reached a watershed. Biography of frank stella, american painter and sculptor. For him, the problem of painting is not so much the problem of representing a threedimensional object on a twodimensional plane but the use of convincing illusionism to make pictorial space seem real. Peter schjeldahl on a retrospective of frank stellas work, at the whitney, the importance of his black paintings, the book working space, and his career. Mar 18, 2020 this hangarlike structure, about a 90minute drive north of manhattan, has been frank stellas studio for the past two decades. Frank stella earned his degree in history from princeton university.
For more on these paintings and many others order a copy of our new frank stella book, part of our contemporary artist series. Working according to the principle of line, plane, volume, and point, within space, stella focuses on the basic elements of an artwork color, shape, and composition. Dec 10, 2018 in 1970, the museum of modern art presented a retrospective of frank stella s work. Some artists like to make the picture plane appear to remain flat, as if all that we can see in a picture lies right up against the window of the canvas. Frank stella caravaggio the madonna of the rosary annibale carracci picasso a common complaint the dutch savannah. The twists and turns of stellas career are illuminated by insights that were discovered. In the 1970s, building upon the bright colors of the late1960s protractor series and his seminal piece harran ii, stella s works were more and more exuberant in style with curving forms, dayglo colors, and idiosyncratic brushstrokes that looked like scribbles. Frank stellas working space is the publication of a series of charles eliot norton lectures given in 19834.
They said that i wrote about caravaggio and the art of the past in order to make my own work look good. Frank stella was born in malden, massachusetts, to parents of italian descent. The bulk of his lecture recalled the oracular voice of stellas most famous statements, the series of lectures titled working space. Stella was very active in producing new works during the 1990s. T wo considerations are bound to direct our reading of frank stellas book, an extensively illustrated volume which prints the charles eliot norton lectures he delivered at harvard three years ago. In stellas book, working space, he says, the aim of art is to create space space that is not compromised by decoration or illustration, space in which the subjects of painting can live.
They combine sculpture, painting, and even drawing, since stella sees the steel armatures as a form of drawing that serves to orient the polychrome sculpture in space. Pages can include considerable notesin pen or highlighterbut the notes cannot obscure the text. Working space by frank stella book 20 editions published between 1986 and 1989 in 4 languages and held by 1,180 worldcat member libraries worldwide. Nsu art museum fort lauderdale is pleased to present frank stella.
Frank philip stella born may 12, 1936 is an american painter, sculptor and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and postpainterly abstraction. Similarly, stella s time a young rebel was also firmly in the past. Stella uses the crisis of representational art in sixteenthcentury italy to illuminate the crisis of abstraction in our time. The series of six lectures were compiled and presented as the book working space in 1986. The museum of modern art in new york city included four frank stella paintings in its landmark 1960 exhibition sixteen americans. He gave them in 1983 as charles eliot norton professor of. One of those was the marriage of reason and squalor, a series of black inverted parallel ushapes with stripes separated by thin lines of blank canvas.
Frank stella, in full frank philip stella, born may 12, 1936, malden, massachusetts, u. Frank stella describes his perception of other artists work, as well as his own. Apr 17, 2016 a joint exhibition of the work of frank stella presented by the modern art museum of fort worth and the whitney museum of american art. Frank stella describes his perception of other artists work, as well as his own, in this handsomely illustrated volume.
Experiment and change, an exhibition that spans the artists 60year career from the late 1950s to the present. He attended the phillips academy in andover 19501954, where he studied painting with patrick morgan. Frank stella was born in 1936 in malden, massachusetts, a suburb of boston. Parallel to his paintings, stella began his extended engagement of exploring the limits of pictorial space through printmaking and etching. On a 1983 trip to malta, in advance of his much celebrated series of lectures of harvard university, entitled working space compiled in a book of the name, stella was influenced by the isles fortified architecture. Frank stellas work makes its way to the modern fort worth. Frank stella describes his perception of other artists work, as well as his own, in this handsomely illustrated volume stella uses the crisis of representational art in sixteenthcentury italy to illuminate the crisis of abstraction in. Working space the charles eliot norton lectures by frank. Similarly, stellas time a young rebel was also firmly in the past.
The following year, he held retrospective at the museum of modern art, displaying his works from 1970 through 1987. Frank stella author of working space charles eliot norton. And you can catch some great frank stella work at these exhibitions. An exlibrary book and may have standard library stamps andor stickers. In 1986, stella wrote a book, working space, which was based on a series of lectures he did at harvard university. Frank stella author of working space charles eliot. Work of frank stella celebrated in captivating new book creative. Its about working, and what its like for artists to find a way and a place to feel comfortable with working. Stellas first book of art criticism offers the opportunity to see painting problems from the point of view of one of the worlds most prominent abstractionists. Stella studied painting at the phillips academy in andover, massachusetts, and.
Frank philip stella born may 12, 1936 is an american painter, sculptor and printmaker, noted. Frank stella, working space aridplasticity working space. Working space charles eliot norton lectures by frank stella. The exhibition, composed of approximately 300 paintings, relief sculpture and drawings will offer insight into his trajectory from minimalism e. He is a significant figure in minimalism and postpainterly abstraction. Stella was an early practitioner of nonrepresentational painting, rather than artwork alluding to underlying meanings, emotions, or narratives, and has remained one to this day. Yale university press, in association with the whitney museum of american art, new york and the modern art museum of fort worth, 2015. Frank stella was born in malden, massachusetts, on may 12, 1936. By this time of course, stella s heyday was long gone the 1960s, when michael fried and his acolytes could fuss over whether the latest stella could compel conviction. As of 2015, stella lives in greenwich village and keeps an office there but.