Spectrum V, 1969, Ellsworth Kelly
Oil on canvas
Each panel: Height 84 1/4 inches, Width 34 1/4 inches
Total: Height 84 1/4 inches, Width 443 inches
69.210 a-m
"By dividing his 1969 Spectrum V into thirteen tones, painted
flatly and evenly on thirteen identical panels, Ellsworth Kelly created
sublte variations within a monumental format. Color here is an almost-architectural
element, intensifying our sense of perspective and articulating the
wall as a totality." (MMA Bulletin, Oct. 1970)
The practice of meditation can include focusing the mind on a single
object, such as a symbol, a mantra, or a color. No image is necessary,
but rather the pure color becomes the focus of the meditation. In
this piece, the viewer is able to meditate on Kelly's spectrum of
color as a whole, reflect upon the differences and variations between
the colors, or focus on in each individual tone. In some interpretations,
green is a symbol of renewal, representing life and growth.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Catalog, New York, New York.
Moszynska, Anna. "Post-painterly Abstraction." The Grove
Dictionary of Art Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 September 2002),
<http://www.groveart.com>
Pittari, Michael. "Atlanta." Art Papers 24, no.
1, 39-40, January/February 2000.
Ratcliff, Carter. "Kelly's Spectrum of Experience." Art
in America, v. 69, Summer 1981, p. 98-101.
Sims, Patterson. "Kelly, Ellsworth." The Grove Dictionary
of Art Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed 17 September 2002), <http://www.groveart.com>
