Robert Motherwell Analysis

The artwork that I have chosen to critique is by an American artist named Robert Motherwell, (1915 -1991). The particular piece I have chosen is called "Open" # 150 in black and cream 1970 acrylic on canvas 69 x 204 1/4 inches at the Modern Museum. This artwork is a symmetrical balanced abstract painting that is about 41 years old and is horizontal in its organization and is made up of one neutral color cream rectangle inside at the top of one large intense black color rectangle. Counting a total of 7 actual lines, three straight vertical and four straight horizontal lines. The large rectangle is an extremely intense black color which contrasts dramatically with the off white (cream) rectangle. The colors in the painting are brilliant and extremely appealing to the eye. It was the first artwork that I came across and focused the
Motherwell's use of those two colors also creates unity and variety. The intense use of black throughout the piece and his use of a muted off white color creates unity in the artwork. However, the contrast between the intense color and the off white color creates variety. I can describe this piece of art as a small void of cream surrounded by a bold color black. Even though there is mostly black in the painting, the cream color adds emphasis to the painting setting the tone for the entire art. The lighter color in the painting is very distinctive and gives the artwork life along with the black color. It's the brighter color that makes the artwork noticeable, like the artist really wants the audience attention on the cream color. The title alone "Open" describes the artwork in color form but not so much the meaning of the artwork. After researching the artist and the artwork, it seems as if Motherwell's depiction of this one specific piece was inspired by a personal friend that was an artist who committed suicide as reported on The Moderm Museum