Relic

Kenneth Noland

1969

Acrylic on canvas

Seattle Art Museum

Noland's work was highly rigorous, calling the viewer's attention to the internal and external rules governing a painting's presence. Here, that involves calling attention to the edges of the canvas, as well as its simultaneously full and empty center. He disposed of brushstrokes, favoring a staining technique that distanced him from the expressive residue of his predecessors, and was a pioneer in what has been called Color Field painting. Bequest of Margery S. Friedlander Bequest of Margery S. Friedlander 2005 Object number 2005.134