FRANK STELLA Italian /American 1936-
Updated: Oct 10, 2023
Frank Stella is a groundbreaking painter, print maker and sculptor. Always stretching the boundaries, he is one of the most highly regarded American artists still working today. Born to first-generation Sicilians in the small town in Massachusetts, his father was a doctor, and his mother painted landscapes. After graduating from Princeton University, he moved to New York in 1958. His minimalist geometric paintings evolved to abstract, and he pioneered the concept of the shaped canvas- describing his approach as ‘maximalist’ painting, because of its sculptural qualities. His abstract prints proved as innovative as his paintings, including lithography, screen printing, etching, and offset lithography a method which he is credited with inventing. His approach to materials is just as revolutionary, comprising house and car paint, cast aluminum, fiberglass, and the latest 3D-printing techniques. His work featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art before he was 25, and he had his first retrospective at the museum when he was just 34. One of a very few artists that integrated the narrative in paintings, in 1983, Stella was invited to become a Professor of Poetry at Harvard. In 2009, Frank Stella was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama. Stella continues to live and work in New York and remains active in protecting the rights for artists.
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***The students love process so this was not only challenging but fun. This project required a lot of thought and planning in regard to color , shape and pattern .They brought so many skills that they have developed over the past few months, to create these Stella inspired pieces. Armed with protractors, scissors, paper and paints, they hit the ground running with great confidence and attention . Go Art Stars!
