Frank Stella (1936)
Frank Stella is a painter and engraver born in 1936 in Massachusetts, USA.
A painter considered to be the precursor of minimalism, he is one of the leading exponents of optical art and shaped canvas.
In 1958, Stella was inspired by the geometric lines and circles he saw in Jasper Johns' first solo exhibition. He was influenced by the abstract expressionism of Pollock and Kline.
It was only later that he denied the expressive use of painting and rejected the lyricism of this current.
He worked on the oppositions between forms and colours and is the inventor of the "cut-out canvases".
His compositions are generally series.
In the mid-70s, he took a turning point in his artistic approach as he began to work in relief.
This will lead him to break the boundaries of classical geometry and his paintings will evolve towards the formation of real sculptures from the 80s.
SELECTED WORK
A Hungry Cat Ate Up The Goat (Work Proof)
115.3 x 135.6 cm
Oil stick, acrylic paint, hand-colored and collaged cardboard with marbling, lithography, linoleum block & silkscreen printings, unique piece Bottom Lef: Work Proof, signed and dated
1984