C O L O R F I E L

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C O L O R F I E L C O L O R F I E L D S Ludwig SANDER Untitled Oil on paper, circa 1960s, unsigned (from the estate of the artist’s widow), on off-white wove paper Image 17 3/4 x 15 3/4 inches Sheet 26 x 20 inches $3,000 Sander’s work from the early-1960s onwards is known immediately for it’s almost complete focus on color. The few divisions of the picture field that there are, are most often just separations of subtle tonal differences. Gene DAVIS “Ianthe” Silkscreen printed in colors on canvas laminated to card (as issued), 1969, signed in ink and numbered from the edition of 150 on the reverse, published by Petersburg Press, London, and with their ink stamp on the reverse, printed to the edge of the sheet, in a thin white wood frame Sheet 24 x 30 inches $2,800 The iconic stripe paintings of Gene Davis, one of the most famous of the Washington Color School artists, display the rhythmic interplay of pure color, and the limitless possibilities it allows. The word “Ianthe”, the name of a romantic figure in mythology, comes from the Greek for “violet flower”. Kenneth YOUNG “Blue” Acrylic on blotting paper, 1973, signed, dated and titled lower-right in ink, painted to the edge of the sheet Sheet 30 x 22 1/4 inches $2,500 The Washington DC artist Kenneth Young, like Morris Louis in the 1950s and his contemporary Sam Gilliam, was preoccupied in the 1960s and 70s with the effect of pigments staining and blending on untreated canvas and absorbent paper. Walter Darby BANNARD “Blush and Flame No.3” Alkyd resin on canvas, 1970, titled and dated on a label attached to the stretcher, unsigned (the artist has confirmed the date and title of this work), in a period wood and metal frame 30 x 45 inches $4,500 In 1970 Bannard began to use the new acrylic paints that were appearing on the market. His sparser, lightly painted works of the 1960s changed with the use of these new materials, applied with squeegees and other unorthodox tools, into more richly colored, visceral works. Roy COLMER Untitled Acrylic on canvas, circa 1972/73, unsigned (the authenticity of this painting has been confirmed by the artist); in a wood strip frame 29 x 29 inches $3,000 Colmer’s works from the late-1960s through early- 1970s were painted with an industrial spray gun. He was fascinated with the optical effects of color and lines, and was influenced by the visual experience of viewing blurred or continuously looped color video. Sewell SILLMAN “Mastaba” Oil on masonite, 1961, signed in pencil and dated in the upper-right border, also signed in ink, dated and titled on the reverse; in excellent condition, in a period thin silver wood frame, with a label on the reverse from David Herbert Gallery, NYC 16 x 26 1/2 inches $3,500 Like Josef Albers, his teacher at Black Mountain College and friend and mentor at Yale University, the colors in Sillman’s paintings from this period are “juxtaposed for various and changing visual effects. They are to challenge or to echo each other, to support or oppose one another.”* * Josef Albers, “Josef Albers: Homage to the Square” (Museum of Modern Art, NY, 1964) Ernest POSEY Circles Color ink airbrushed on paper, circa 1980s, unsigned (from the artist’s estate), on white wove paper; in a white wood frame Sheet 35 x 23 inches $1,500 The work of the West Coast artist Ernest Posey in the 1970s and 80s was most often involved with simple geometric shapes, frequently concentric circles painted in a limited palette of colors. Edward AVEDISIAN Untitled Acrylic on thick paper, 1974, signed and dated on the reverse 56 x 41 1/2 inches $5,000 Avedisian’s paintings from the 1960s are known for their flat, defined areas of color. By the early-1970s however, his work had evolved into a more painterly, exuberant style, with thick layers of color poured and squeezed directly onto the canvas or paper. Robert SLUTZKY Tipped Painting - Gray Acrylic on canvas, circa 1969, unsigned (from the artist’s estate) 66 1/2 x 60 inches (square) $12,000 Slutzky created a small number of “tipped” paintings in the late-1960s and early-70s. These works, with their dominant central color and subtle, irregularly positioned lines, extend the form and color painted on the canvas beyond the edges of the painting, and hint at outside forms coming into the picture plane in ways that can make a right-angled canvas seem static by comparison. Jeanne LEVIN “Reflected Yellow” Acrylic on canvas, 1971, signed in ink, dated and titled on the reverse; in a thin white-painted wood frame 26 x 52 inches $3,500 What on first sight appears to be a work solely of parallel horizontal lines, in fact hides three diagonal slivers. The subtle color field of the painting is broken up, in the most imperceptible way, by these slivers that appear and recede effortlessly. Additional images of all of these works, as well as other works by these artists, can be found on our website..
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