Frank Stella
May 12, 1936 (77 years old)
Frank Stella is an American minimalist painter, most noted for his use of color, non-traditional materials, and non-traditional canvases.
Inspiration:
As were many artists of the minimalist movement, Stella's early artistic influence came from the abstract expressionists. Today Stella's work is heralded for being completely independent from psychological or metaphysical illusions of traditional painting styles (styles that are illusionistic).
Philosophy:
Stella's philosophy of painting is similar to that of Flavin's for his "propositions" in that he believes a painting is "a flat surface with paint on it - nothing more". He believes that paintings are displayed for others to see, but not for them to think about in complex ways.
Frank Stella - "Polk City" - 1963 - zinc chromate on canvas - 81 5/8 in. x 91 3/8 in. x 3 1/8 in. (207.33 cm x 232.09 cm x 7.94 cm)
Frank Stella - "Abra Variation I" - 1969 - Fluorescent alkyd on canvas - 10' x 9' 11 7/8" (304.8 x 304.5 cm)
Frank Stella - "Fez (2)" - 1964 - Fluorescent alkyd on canvas - 6' 7 1/8" x 6' 7 1/8" (195.6 x 195.6 cm)
Frank Stella - "Polk City" - 1963 - zinc chromate on canvas - 81 5/8 in. x 91 3/8 in. x 3 1/8 in. (207.33 cm x 232.09 cm x 7.94 cm)
Now here's a little more about Stella, from the man himself:
Now that you've learned a little bit about Stella, his life, and his philosophies, here are some of his works.
Media:
Stella creates paintings that diverge from traditional flat canvases in a rectangular arrangement. He was one of the first artists to take the canvas frames and flip them sideways so the canvas sticks up off the wall by a few inches, as well as arrange the canvases in non-traditional shapes (circles, polygons, etc.).