Vertical Band 1951

Ellsworth Kelly created this painting called Vertical Band with very simple tools: black and white paint. It’s fascinating how the act of painting itself can become a quest. I can imagine Kelly, brush in hand, carefully plotting this pure, confident stripe. Did he consider other colors, maybe a daring red or cool blue before settling on black? The material quality of the paint—notice how it sits on the surface, not too thick, not too thin—dictates our experience. That black stripe isn't just a shape; it's a presence, a mood. Kelly, like all artists, was in conversation with the painters who came before him, from Matisse to Mondrian, and all the artists that came after him. Painting lets us express ourselves in ways that can be felt rather than just explained, letting us get comfortable with uncertainty.