Ellsworth Kelly

The spare minimalism of this collage is characteristic of Kelly's work, which rests on the expressive power of pure forms and simple oppositions, such as black vs. white and curve vs. straight line. Although his art is predominantly abstract, Kelly finds inspiration for it in the world around him, "investigating the abstract shape of things," as he put it. Beyond its stark, geometric form, the present drawing suggests a landscape, the curved line corresponding to a segment of earth's circumference or the gentle slope of a hill, while the black evokes a night sky.