An Accidental Ellsworth Kelly

I'm so intrigued by this film documentary that is coming out called My Kid Could Paint That, but not for the "was the child exploited for cash" angle....rather, it's the echo that I've heard whenever I go to a museum. There's always someone, usually by the Jackson Pollock or the Barnett Newman or the Ellsworth Kelly who stage-whispers, "Where's the skill in THAT?"

Artistic skill aside, when I received this photo of my friend's cat, I told her, "I'm loving that Ellsworth Kelly bit you pulled over the bed. Oh, and Binky's pretty cute, too." And she replied, "Oh, I just hung a blank canvas up until I figure out what I should put over there. You really think I should leave it blank?"

What do you think? Should she leave it blank in the name of Ellsworth? Or bust out some happy little trees like Bob Ross? Or create a framed photo collage/shrine of Binky in various states of cat-lounging?

Comments (7)

i wouldn't call it a kelly. maybe albers, malevich, or reinhardt. albers was known for his squares, often concentric, and malevich had a famous square white-on-white piece. reinhardt would paint squares or diamond in the same color, but paint the shape in a different direction than the background. so, if he painted a diamond, the strokes might be left-to-right, while the rest of the canvas was top-to-bottom. they looked like canvases of the same color from far away, but you could tell the difference up close.

she could also call it something like "evidence of an indecisive homeowner" and credit duchamp.

i just came across as a pompous art snob, didn't i.....

ok, advice: if the canvas has been pre-gessoed, maybe keep it? if not, maybe she could experiment with just painting with a sexy gel medium to keep the color, but give it texture. they make gels with sand in them, little glass pebbles, etc.

posted by samantha9484 on September 11th 2007 at 11:56am
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i think they also have black or dark grey gel mediums with funky stuff in them, which might look cool with the dark headboard.

posted by samantha9484 on September 11th 2007 at 11:57am
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hee hee!

I too, have purchased a blank canvas which I intend to paint (I plan to get two more) rather plainly... as I have a hard time commiting to art... and I really only want the color... not a specific theme.

Hadn't thought of just hanging though...

posted by clickchick on September 11th 2007 at 1:19pm
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I love Binky!

posted by olga on September 11th 2007 at 6:32pm
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Looks like she pulled an Ellsworth with her bed as well, with the white duvet with no duvet cover. :-)

posted by jss on September 11th 2007 at 7:41pm
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I agree. I love it blank. Negative space can be so impactful, especially with a dark colored wall. Plus, the square perfectly matches the geometry of the lamp.

Sometimes it is the contemplation of infinite potentiality that is fascinating. That is why I sometimes enjoy hanging empty frames.

This is also perfect over a bed because sometimes images can impose on restful sleep.

Love it. Own it as a statement.

posted by peggy on September 12th 2007 at 5:56am
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To me, EK is all about color. His early work is often viewed as a precursor to the Colorfield painters.

I did a Kelly-esque installation of canvases using this NGA work as inspiration. Its a colorful and economical idea for covering a large wall. In this case, I think the white canvas against the darker wall has the same effect.

posted by Kelly on September 12th 2007 at 9:09am
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