When less is more: Monochromatic works in the collection

Most of the time, artists employ many different colors to illustrate their vision. A variety of colors can add precision, detail, and depth. So, what happens to art when artists purposely use only one color? 

Check out these monochromatic objects from SLAM’s collection to find out.   

Homage to the Square: Wondering by Josef Albers 

Using shades of yellow, Josef Albers painted four nesting squares. The monochromatic painting Homage to the Square: Wondering is one of over one thousand Albers created in this likeness from 1950 until his death in 1976. Changing the colors and hues, Albers’s Homage to the Square series attempted to evoke different emotions and visual sensations. Predating Minimalism, Albers’s rigorous repetition of geometric abstraction inspired many artists.  

Red, Orange, Orange on Red by Mark Rothko 

Despite the title of this work, orange dominates any red you might see. Brick, tangerine, and acid orange blocks of color layer on top of the reddish base. Mark Rothko stained the canvas with several thin layers of pigment, attempting to create the shiny luminosity of dawn or sunset. His simple compositions attempt to express universal human emotions, from comedy to tragedy. Rothko connected his work to ancient Greek dramas or German philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche to make his art feel timeless.   

The Marriage of Reason and Squalor by Frank Stella 

Thick bands of black paint create concentric rectangles in Frank Stella’s The Marriage of Reason and Squalor. Stella methodically applied the black paint with a housepainter’s brush, leaving thin lines of the bare canvas shining through. Mounted on an extra-thick wooden frame, the three-dimensional quality of the thick paint creates visual depth despite the monochromatic scene. Stella was not interested in applying meaning to his abstract work, adopting a “what you see is what you get” attitude. 

Romeo’s Blues 2 by Jerald Ieans 

Opaque dark-blue ovals float over a cloudy haze of light blue. In Romeo’s Blues 2, Jerald Ieans—a St. Louis artist—explores the tradition of Minimal and post-Minimal art through a study of color, shape, and material. The translucence of the background allows the ovals to command space in the foreground. Ieans pours multiple layers of clear glue over the ovals, making the shapes pop out of the canvas for a three-dimensional effect.  

New Continent by Louise Nevelson 

Louise Nevelson uses a monochromatic color palette to transform unconventional materials into art. Living in New York City, Nevelson sourced the individual components for New Continent from discarded materials she found around Manhattan. Her sculpture includes staircase posts, chair legs, and moldings intricately placed within 36 wooden boxes. Then, Nevelson unified the materials with a coat of construction-white paint. New Continent proves that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. 

Untitled (Two Women on Red Paper) by Unknown 

While the bright-red color of the paper might suggest summer heat, the two women in this photo are bundled up for winter. Bare trees in the background and short blades of grass set this mundane winter scene. Despite the uneventful background, the women’s outfits speak to their class. They both sport fur coats, handbags, and sensible heels with their hair pinned perfectly in place. Taken and printed around the 1940s, the red paper stands out against the standard black-and-white counterparts. 

Model, from the portfolio Ten from Leo Castelli, by Robert Morris 

Have you ever wanted a piece of modern sculpture in your home? In the 1960s, Tanglewood Press expanded on the definition of a portfolio, replicating not only print works but sculptures for everyday collectors. Ten from Leo Castelli includes 10 easily reproducible objects by artists like Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, Robert Morris, and more. Morris created Model with vacuum-formed plastic. The consistent green allows for simple replication. 

Untitled by Manuel Hughes 

Manuel Hughes’s Untitled feels whimsically mechanical. Hughes intentionally paints subjects against a nondescript background to ask viewers to interrogate the unique forms. In this work, personified pieces of scrap metal create an insect-like figure against a deep purple background. What appears to be a microscope in the center of the figure holds the pieces together, acting like a spine. Interrupting the purple background, a blue circle breaks the monochromatic theme.