ELLWSORTH KELLY AT THE BLANTON

By

Minuet in G

(a 1979 Argosy made by Airstream that loves art that expresses...)

Field Trip Time for Vannie and Dave

Blanton Museum of Art

Austin, TX

Form into Spirit: Ellsworth Kelly's Austin

Ellsworth Kelly 

1923-2015

American painter, sculptor, and printmaker

Hard-edge painting

Color Field painting

Minimalism

Vannie loves putting me in various settings.

I think Mr. Kelly would have gotten a kick out of this.

Vannie said the exhibit was wonderful.

This is one that her 4th graders would have loved.

Ellsworth was fascinated with colors, shapes, and how

they interacted with each other.  Simplicity was always in the forefront. 

Quote from Mr. Kelly

"My work is all about perception.  

Since I was a kid, I've always played games with my eyes."

Many of his paintings consisted of a single color, and

some canvases were irregular shapes.

Stripes were a big deal, too.

Spectrum VI

Sold for $5.2 million

This piece was actually made up of 13 different panels

each painted a different color.

According to Mr. Kelly, each panel is its own person and has its own identity.

In the early 70's and into the 80's, EK began working on large-scale sculptures.

He concentrated on absolute simplicity and form.

Mother and Child

If you thought his museum pieces were awesome, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Ellsworth Kelly gifted the design of his only freestanding structure conceived by him

to the Blanton Museum in 2015.  

$23 million was raised to create an actual building from his plans.

The building was named Austin after the city of its creation.

Austin opened to the public on February 18, 2018.

Austin is a 2,715-square-foot stone building with 

colored glass windows, a totem wood sculpture,

and 14 black and white marble panels.

Austin

A simple crosslike design

Exterior...Limestone from Spain

Dave said that when he walked in, he felt like he was inside a kaleidoscope.

The starkness was mesmerizing.

The colors were hypnotizing.  

Depending on the time of day, the colors will bewitch their audience

with impromptu dances on the walls, floors and ceilings.   

The black and white marble panels are entitled "Stations of the Cross".

A EK totem greets each visitor as they enter. 

On the west end are long thin rectangles set in a circle to form a starburst.

Kelly creates true color wheels.

"Tumbling Squares"

This design was created after seeing

a beautiful rose window in a cathedral in France.

In the early 1950's, Kelly visited Chartres Cathedral in France.

He was fascinated by the North Rose Window.

The "tumbling squares" seemed so modern for the

13th century, when the window was created.

 They appeared to move because of their energized geometry.

At Chartres the squares are inserted into a more intricate design.  

Kelly pulled them out and adapted them to his own style.

The view of the city of Austin from the front door of Austin.

"I hope visitors will experience Austin as a place of calm and light."

Ellsworth Kelly

With a city as busy as Austin, this exhibit is a place that needs to be returned to often

to regain that calmness and lightness that is needed for each and everyone of us.

"Go there and rest your eyes, rest your mind, enjoy it."

Ellsworth Kelly

V and D wish all of you a blessed Easter.

"Sing to the Lord 

all the earth...

Proclaim His salvation."

1 Chronicles 16:23