Caviar20 is excited to be offering this paradigm of Frank Stella's work; an example from his legendary "Benjamin Moore" series.
Stella is heralded as the visionary painter that inspired the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Minimalism. He was one of the first artists to dismiss the idea of using paint in an expressive form in the creation of abstract art. Furthermore, there was no allusion to the material world or an emotional state. “What you see is what you see” stated Stella in 1964.
"Palmito Ranch" is among Stella’s most minimal compositions. It refers to the 1961 “Benjamin Moore” series of paintings, named after the brand of household paints that Stella favored for their intense colors and flat, matte surfaces.
Yet the individual titles within the series were taken from Civil War Battles. “Palmito Ranch” references the Battle of Palmito Ranch, one of the last Civil War clashes, fought in Texas in 1865.
However, it is formal rather than thematic concerns that Stella addresses with "Palmito Ranch". Stella attempted to drain any external symbolism from painting, reducing his images to geometric form. His goal was to make paintings in which pictorial force came from materiality, not from meaning.
Stella was an active printmaker and experimented with techniques to achieve a specific aesthetic. In "Palmito Ranch" its saturated palette, measured proportions, and vibrant presence make this lithograph classically timeless and an icon of Stella's introduction to minimalism.
Stella’s work is in the collections of numerous important museums around the world, including the MoMA, the MET, the Menil Collection in Houston, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, in Washington, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2009.
Questions about this piece? or call 1.416.704.1720
"Palmito Ranch"
Signed, dated and numbered by the artist
USA, 1971
Lithograph, on Arches paper
From an edition of 100
16”H 20”W (sheet)
19"H 25"W (frame)
Published by Gemini G.E.L. Inc., Los Angeles (with their blindstamps)
Literature: Richard Axsom and Leah Kol (2016),The Prints of Frank Stella: A Catalogue Raisonné 1967-1982, Axsom, pl.23, pg. 62 [1983].
