Blog #2

This piece of art was created in 1978 by an American painter named, Al Held. It can be found in the Museum of Modern Art. It was created during a period when Held went from gestural painting to hard edge painting. It was also when he changed his medium from oil to water based acrylic. This work of art is a 2D painting. All lines are visible and are created by various shapes that can be seen with the eye. They are all geometric, mostly circles and triangles. It has many horizontal and vertical lines which symbolize action and strength. The artist also uses primary and secondary colors, with a majority of the painting being blue. Although blue is a cool color and should create a sense of calmness, the way the artist uses it and the shapes in this painting creates a feeling of chaos. The gray areas appear to be a road that has been broken up by the array of colors around it. Seeing how the artist uses all of his space, there is no negative space. There is a pattern of shapes and colors. This work of art is a painting however, it looks as if it was created digitally implying a smooth texture. I feel that the artist created this work of art to trick the human eye. When looking at the painting, it’s almost impossible to tell where one shape begins and ends. In my opinion, this represents disorder and trying to find a balance.