Blue on White

Ellsworth Kelly, Blue on White, 1961, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.63
Copied Ellsworth Kelly, Blue on White, 1961, oil on canvas, 85 5⁄8 x 67 3⁄4 in. (217.5 x 172.1 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.63

Artwork Details

Title
Blue on White
Artist
Date
1961
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
85 5⁄8 x 67 3⁄4 in. (217.5 x 172.1 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1969.47.63
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1969.47.63

Artwork Description

Ellsworth Kelly's paintings preserve and intensify his memories of things seen swiftly, fragmented glimpses of "leaves, grass, [and] cracks in the wall." In Blue on White, a curvilinear blue shape dominates the white background. But just as quickly, the angular edges of the white appear to cut into the billowy blue. Kelly isn't interested in assigning meaning to his works. The artist would rather create colors and shapes so intense that they are like three-dimensional objects; as he once said, "To hell with pictures."