American Art Collaborative

“Straight lines . . . within a round format . . . are affected by the edges . . . It results in an almost vibrating effect that you do not get in a rectangular canvas.” Bolotowsky, interviewed by Svendsen and Poser, Ilya Bolotowsky, 197
Ilya Bolotowsky began painting on circular canvases in the 1940s, when a group of Wyoming ranchers gave him some old wagon wheels to use as frames. Here, he painted bright white stripes on a red background to emphasize the contrast between the curved edge of the painting and the perfectly straight lines and right angles within. The planes of color suggest complete shapes that extend beyond the edge of the canvas. In this way, the artist evoked a larger picture than actually exists, encouraging us to imagine the entire geometric pattern. (Bolotowsky, interviewed by Svendsen and Poser, Ilya Bolotowsky, 1974