Richard Axsom

Frank Stella: Prints

In addition to his achievements in abstract painting and sculpture, Frank Stella has also made major contributions to the history of the modern print. An exploration of the artist’s innovative use of the medium, Frank Stella: Prints reveals the intimate relationships between Stella’s prints and his works in other mediums, demonstrating how Stella blasted a hole in the traditional tools and aesthetics of printmaking with works of compelling complexity and beauty. Frank Stella: Prints registers in chronological sequence more than 300 editioned prints, reproduced in full color, including works in series and portfolios. Related works in other mediums--paintings, metal reliefs, maquettes and sculpture--are also illustrated for comparison. Complete documentation of each print offers a privileged insight into the creative process behind these works of art. An introductory essay, prefaces to each series and comments on individual prints provide background information, analysis and interpretation. Frank Stella: Prints also features an illustrated chronology, a glossary tailored to Stella’s practice, a bibliography and an index. Soon after arriving in New York in the late 1950s, Frank Stella (born 1936) came to prominence with his striped Black Paintings and shaped canvases. His early painting project reduced the medium to its most fundamental elements and introduced a key concept of Minimalism at an early date: “What you see is what you see.” But it was not long before Stella, a restlessly experimental worker, abandoned austerity for brighter colors, irregular shapes, rougher textures and gestural brushstrokes.