1949: Ellsworth Kelly, Kilometer Marker

This was a prophetic piece that augured his signature hard-edged geometric style, and literally became a "marker" for it:

"In 1949, I ceased figurative painting and began works that were object oriented. The drawings from plant life seem to be a bridge to the way of seeing that brought about the paintings in 1949 that are the basis for all my later work. After arriving in Paris in 1948, I realized that figurative painting and also abstract painting (though my knowledge of the latter was very limited) as I had known it in the 20th century no longer interested me as a solution to my own problems. I wanted to give up easel painting which I felt was too personal."(ELLSWORTH KELLY Notes of 1969)

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