Frank Stella
Leo Castelli Gallery Downtown
In his new series of painted aluminum reliefs, Frank Stella extends ideas previously explored in his collage relief constructions of 1971–74. But he now tries to force an even greater number of formal issues and contradictions to coexist in the same work. As before, Stella creates a hard-edged version of Abstract Expressionist dynamism with deliberate manipulations of form and color that have no metaphorical intent. The reliefs are therefore intense without being expressive. Though their logic is devilish, these are rational works. Stella upsets the conventions of harmony, balance and unity