No. 10
Artist
Ad Reinhardt
(American, 1913 - 1967)
Date1959
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsUnframed: 108 × 40 inches (274.32 × 101.6 cm)
Framed: 110 7/8 × 42 7/8 × 2 1/16 inches (281.62 × 108.9 × 5.24 cm)
Framed: 110 7/8 × 42 7/8 × 2 1/16 inches (281.62 × 108.9 × 5.24 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through exchange of a gift of Paul Rosenberg, the Renee C. Crowell Trust, and the Nelson Gallery Foundation
Object number89-17
On View
Not on viewCollections
Gallery LabelAssociated with Abstract Expressionism, Ad Reinhardt's mature work actually lies on the margins of that artistic movement. He is rightly considered to have influenced much of the Minimalist and Conceptual Art of the 1960s and 1970s.
With its rectangular format composed of perfect squares, No. 10 is part of a series of paintings devoted to variations on colors of extremely close value. Reinhardt aimed to create an art of pure, monochromatic color and form, purged of emotion, representation and narrative. Here, he has used shades of black.
Reinhardt said, "Looking isn't as simple as it looks. Art teaches people how to see." Accordingly, the viewer must spend time with No. 10, allowing the eyes to adjust, in order to perceive the subtle squares that make up the composition.
With its rectangular format composed of perfect squares, No. 10 is part of a series of paintings devoted to variations on colors of extremely close value. Reinhardt aimed to create an art of pure, monochromatic color and form, purged of emotion, representation and narrative. Here, he has used shades of black.
Reinhardt said, "Looking isn't as simple as it looks. Art teaches people how to see." Accordingly, the viewer must spend time with No. 10, allowing the eyes to adjust, in order to perceive the subtle squares that make up the composition.
Copyright© Estate of Ad Reinhardt / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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