Virtual ExhibitsTitle:
UNTITLED (NO. 8)
Artist:
Held, Al (1928-2005)
Medium:
Oil on Canvas
Date:
1961
Source:
Poindexter Collection
Object ID:
X1966.04.06
Description:
Al Held was an American Abstract expressionist painter. He was particularly well known for his large scale Hard-edge paintings. As an artist, multiple stylistic changes occurred throughout his career, however, none of these occurred at the same time as any popular emerging style or acted against a particular art form.[2] In the 1950s his style reflected the abstract expressionist tone and then transitioned to a geometric style in the 60s.
In this particular painting the bottom two thirds of this rectangular canvas are given over to square shapes set inside each other imperfectly. Most apparent is a yellow square covered by a white one with a black square set inside it, although red, light blue and black show forth from between the seams at the intervals where none of the edges quite line up to ninety degrees. The top third of the painting is covered in lines moving in a horizontal wave pattern with bands of blue, light orange, green, red, ochre, black, white and light blue in that order, descending from the top edge. There are a few drips and the paint surface is strangely mat.
In this particular painting the bottom two thirds of this rectangular canvas are given over to square shapes set inside each other imperfectly. Most apparent is a yellow square covered by a white one with a black square set inside it, although red, light blue and black show forth from between the seams at the intervals where none of the edges quite line up to ninety degrees. The top third of the painting is covered in lines moving in a horizontal wave pattern with bands of blue, light orange, green, red, ochre, black, white and light blue in that order, descending from the top edge. There are a few drips and the paint surface is strangely mat.
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Painting, Untitled (No. 8), X1966.04.06
Painting, Untitled (No. 8), X1966.04.06
