Ellsworth Kelly

The subject and title of this painting derive from the artist’s interpretation of a shadow cast by a telephone pole. The work also evokes the more general notion of opposite poles, with a compositional emphasis at the top and bottom. The white areas represent the pole, and the black indicates the shadow. The expansive white shapes, which seem to go beyond the limits of the canvas, highlight the clean borders between elements. Characteristic of the style known as hard-edge painting, this work emphasizes flatness and intentionally avoids the effect of spatial relationships between forms.