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Pale Blue II (from "Five Prints Part II")

Artist Jules Olitski (American; 1922-2007)
Copy Right Holder Artist or artist's estate
Copy Right Holder VAGA at Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Date1970
Mediumcolor silkscreen on paper
Dimensionssheet: 35 × 26 in. (88.9 × 66 cm)
Classification(s)
  • PRINTS
Credit LineGift of Thomas J. Branchick
Terms
  • abstract
Object numberM.2014.19.3
DescriptionTypical of Olitski's color field work, with the blue shade the subject of the piece rather than simply a means to depict the subject. In the bottom left and right corners, Olitski's experimentation with spray painitng is on display. He approached printmaking much as he did painting. Like the canvases of the period, the silkscreens are more or less unbroken expanses of saturated high key color, punctuated by incidents confined to the edges. He used the orange particles to further intensify the viewer's connection with the blue by creating a vibrant yet subtle contrast of complementary colors at the print's edges. This is part of a series called "Five Prints Part II" that consists of two-hued prints in various colors [crimson-orange; orange-ochre; pink-grey; and pink-yellow].
Edition31/150
Catalogue raisonnéWilkin & Long #51
Inscribedsigned l.r.; verso l.l. in pencil: Olitski/ Pale Blue
On View
Not on view