In grad school Stephen Greene admonished me for work too akin to Stella . I took heart in Marcia Hahif’s essay Beginning Again and resisted simply turning brush strokes into ribbon candy ala David Reed. I never quite accepted Stella’s move into 3D space and big budget works. I thought and think that the challenges of painting are to be worked out in a 2 dimensional arena. A material echo of the retina.
I agree with you about Stella's move into three dimensions, especially since he insisted on called his high-relief pieces paintings. He was an extremely restless artist and for that reason, perhaps, uneven.
Most certainly, the intellectual vigor of Stella's work is remarkable. The first early works have an absolute fixation that is commanding. "Facts, just the facts" was a line from a detective tv program of that era---such a simple story, the meanings so plain and simple.
Truly great essay
Thank you, John
In grad school Stephen Greene admonished me for work too akin to Stella . I took heart in Marcia Hahif’s essay Beginning Again and resisted simply turning brush strokes into ribbon candy ala David Reed. I never quite accepted Stella’s move into 3D space and big budget works. I thought and think that the challenges of painting are to be worked out in a 2 dimensional arena. A material echo of the retina.
I agree with you about Stella's move into three dimensions, especially since he insisted on called his high-relief pieces paintings. He was an extremely restless artist and for that reason, perhaps, uneven.
As a bio major at a second tier research university in Illinois I saw in artists like Stella that making art was something worthwhile.
Yes, Stella was extremely ambitious in an exemplary way--always trying something new, never less than completely serious.
I am enjoying this so much.hope your arm is ok. Fh
Thank you, Frank. My arm is just about completely healed.
Most certainly, the intellectual vigor of Stella's work is remarkable. The first early works have an absolute fixation that is commanding. "Facts, just the facts" was a line from a detective tv program of that era---such a simple story, the meanings so plain and simple.
Yes, and it's amazing that he was willing to abandon the stern authority of his early work for decades of experiment.
Bravo
Thank you, Frank
Brilliant!
Thank you