ByQuotes

Ellsworth Kelly Quotes

Powerful Ellsworth Kelly for Daily Growth

About Ellsworth Kelly

Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) was an American artist renowned for his abstract and geometric artworks that bridged the gap between painting and sculpture. Born on May 6, 1923, in Newburgh, New York, Kelly showed an early interest in art, encouraged by his mother who loved to draw. During World War II, he served in the US Army, where he was stationed in Normandy, France, a period that significantly influenced his artistic development. Kelly moved to Paris in 1948, immersing himself in the vibrant post-war art scene and studying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. His work during this time was heavily influenced by Cubism and Surrealism. In 1950, he returned to the United States and settled in New York City, where he became a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement. However, Kelly's style began to evolve away from the gestural brushwork associated with Abstract Expressionism towards more geometric and reductive forms. His works often featured simple shapes and bold colors, inspired by his observations of the natural world and everyday objects. One of his most famous series, 'Sculptures for the Four Seasons' (1970-1974), is a prime example of this aesthetic. In 1970, Kelly moved to Spencertown, New York, where he established a studio that served as his primary workspace until his death in 2015. During this period, he created some of his most iconic works, including 'Austin' (1986), a massive outdoor sculpture at the Blanton Museum of Art in Texas, and the stained-glass windows for the Chapel of Saint Ignatius at the University of Chicago (1997). Throughout his career, Ellsworth Kelly's art continued to explore the relationship between color, shape, and space, making a significant contribution to modern and contemporary American art. His works can be found in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate Modern in London.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Color is my main interest and I think it's the reason I paint."

Ellsworth Kelly, an influential modern artist, emphasized that color is his primary focus in art. He paints to explore and express the richness and emotional depth that colors offer. His work showcases a profound respect for hues as fundamental elements of visual art, using them not only to create aesthetically pleasing compositions but also to evoke feelings and tell stories through their various associations.

"I have always felt that painting is a very serious matter and should be treated as such."

Ellsworth Kelly's statement "I have always felt that painting is a very serious matter and should be treated as such" emphasizes the importance he places on the art of painting, acknowledging its significant role in culture and society. He suggests that painting should not be underestimated or trivialized but rather approached with respect, thoughtfulness, and dedication - reflecting the deep emotional, intellectual, and technical investment required to create meaningful artwork.

"Art is not a pastime. It's a whole way of life."

Ellsworth Kelly's statement, "Art is not a pastime. It's a whole way of life," emphasizes that art is not simply an occasional hobby or leisure activity but rather a profound, immersive lifestyle choice. For artists, art transcends daily routines and becomes intertwined with every aspect of their existence – from how they perceive the world to how they express themselves, interact with others, and find meaning in life. This perspective underscores the importance and depth that art holds for those who embrace it as a way of life.

"I think the art world has to develop more slowly, it can't develop all at once."

Ellsworth Kelly's statement suggests a belief that artistic progress should be gradual rather than sudden or revolutionary. He implies that artistic growth is not a one-time event but an ongoing process that requires time to mature and evolve, much like how natural phenomena unfold over time. This perspective encourages patience and continuous development in the art world, recognizing that rapid change may lead to superficial trends rather than lasting, substantial progress.

"I like the idea of working with one form and seeing how many different ways I can present it."

This quote by Ellsworth Kelly indicates his creative approach to art, where he values exploring and presenting a single form in multiple ways. This philosophy suggests a commitment to the iterative process and experimentation, rather than focusing solely on the end product. The artist is interested in discovering various manifestations of a singular concept or form, emphasizing creativity, versatility, and adaptability in their artistic practice.

When I see a white piece of paper, I feel I've got to draw. And drawing, for me, is the beginning of everything.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Beginning, Feel, I See, I Feel

All my work comes from perceiving. I kept seeing things that were brooding in me. I'm not a geometric artist.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Work, Artist, Brooding, All My Work

All my work begins with drawings.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Work, Begins, Drawings, All My Work

I don't like acrylic because you can't get the density of color. And with each coat of oil paint, the surface gets better and richer.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Color, Surface, Density, Richer

My earliest drawing is a supposed Carracci. It wasn't very expensive, I guess, because they don't know if it's a real Carracci. But it has all these seals on it of people who've owned it, and one of the great portrait painters of England, Reynolds, had owned it, so that's the earliest.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Drawing, Very, Had, Seals

My ideas I can find anywhere. And I draw because I have to note down my ideas or flashes - I call them flashes, because they come to me, like that. Not so much in the plant drawings. I have to see them.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Ideas, Like, Note, Flashes

Geometry is moribund. I want a lilt and joy to art.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Art, Joy, Want, Geometry

I started doing sculpture in 1959. I had no commissions then. They were painted, similar in style to the paintings... At a certain point, I decided I didn't want an edge between two colors, I wanted color differences in literal space.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Color, Doing, Painted, Literal

My forms are geometric, but they don't interact in a geometric sense. They're just forms that exist everywhere, even if you don't see them.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Sense, Them, Interact, Forms

I'm interested in the space between the viewer and the surface of the painting - the forms and the way they work in their surroundings. I'm interested in how they react to a room.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Work, Surface, Viewer, Forms

The paintings to me are always canvas; sculpture has always been metal, though I have made sculpture in wood, also.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Always, Canvas, Been, Wood

I said, I don't want to paint things like Picasso's women and Matisse's odalisques lying on couches with pillows. I don't want to paint people. I want to paint something I have never seen before. I don't want to make what I'm looking at. I want the fragments.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Want, Like, Before, Fragments

Matisse draws what I call the essence of the plants. He leaves a shape open. He'll do a leaf and not close it. Everybody used to say, oh, I got it all from Matisse, and I said, 'Not really.'

- Ellsworth Kelly

Shape, Everybody, Essence, Draws

All my paintings are usually done in drawing form, very small. I make notations in drawings first, and then I make a collage for color. But drawing is always my notation.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Small, Always, Very, Notation

I always felt that a painted edge between two colors was a depiction somehow.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Edge, Always, Painted, Between

Shading is more like copying. And certainly I do copy, but I'm making drawings, and I'm not trying to make them with the shading.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Making, Shading, Certainly, Copying

I sometimes don't try to invent something. I wait for some kind of a direction - and it happens. I get an angle, for instance, and it just appears, and I say, 'Oh my God - that's it!'

- Ellsworth Kelly

Wait, Some, Instance, Angle

I like to be able to get swift curves in the plant drawings that are usually drawn in five to ten minutes.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Curves, Like, Minutes, Swift

One of the first drawings I did in Paris - I wasn't thinking of doing drawings, but somehow or other, I kept drawing - I bought a hyacinth flower with a lot of leaves, just to make me feel like spring.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Doing, Other, Like, Flower

I did not want windows, only skylights. I chose my painting wall as it has the best morning light.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Best, Windows, Want, Chose

I'm not an Expressionist. I love to look at de Kooning, but I've got this kind of secret life, and that is something that pleases me. I have to try and make something out of it.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Love, Kind, Secret, Expressionist

In Paris in the late '40s, I started making my first reliefs. They are separate panels. I wanted to do something coming out of the wall, almost like a collage. I did a lot of white reliefs when I started because I liked antique reliefs, really old stuff.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Separate, Collage, Almost, Antique

I'm constantly investigating nature - nature, meaning everything.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Nature, Meaning, Constantly, Investigating

I don't labor over my drawings. I want to get freedom in the line.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Freedom, Over, Drawings, Labor

My ideas come, wh-pheww. And I draw. Just recently, when I'm searching for ideas for paintings and sculptures, I wait for ideas, and it's always visual.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Wait, Always, Sculptures, Recently

I have a sort of inner sense for scale.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Sense, Scale, Sort, Inner

In Boston, I developed my eye from the drawing. In Paris, I was fascinated by what my eye saw in the way that Paris is built, its 'measure.'

- Ellsworth Kelly

Boston, Built, Saw, Paris

My drawings have to be quick. If they don't happen in 20 minutes or a half hour, then they're no good.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Happen, Quick, Half, Drawings

Each drawing that I've done, I have found. Meaning, I see a plant I want to draw.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Meaning, See, Found, Plant

I was taught to draw very well when I was in school at Boston. And I grew to enjoy drawing so much that I never stopped.

- Ellsworth Kelly

Boston, Very, Stopped, Draw

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.