Diepholz

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This work is part of a large series of paintings and prints that Frank Stella named after international circuits for auto races—Diepholz is a German track. While the painting’s frenetic energy may parallel the drama of race-car driving, it is not a depiction of a particular place or event. Its snaking curves derive instead from art tools—ornate drafting templates such as French curves and ship curves used in nautical design. A structure of lightweight but strong honeycomb aluminum allowed Stella to build the painting so that it projects off the wall into the gallery, challenging traditional distinctions between painting and sculpture.

Keywords

Color
Painting
Organic shapes
Abstract art
American
Metal