Frank Stella
Minimalist of shaped canvases and 'what you see is what you see'.
Most quoted
"The problem with painting is that it's always been about something else. It's always been about telling a story or representing something."
— from Working Space, 1986
"I wanted to make paintings that were as good as anybody else's paintings, and I wanted to make them in a way that was new."
— from Interview with Frank Stella by Gene Swenson, 'What is Pop Art?', 1964
"I'm not interested in making art that's easy to understand. I'm interested in making art that's challenging."
— from Working Space, 1986
All quotes by Frank Stella (97)
I'm not interested in making art that's pretty. I'm interested in making art that's real.
The only thing that matters is the presence of the painting.
I think that the best art is always a little bit raw.
I don't think there's any such thing as a perfect brushstroke. There's only a brushstroke that works.
I think that the most important thing for an artist is to be courageous.
I'm not interested in making art that's easy. I'm interested in making art that's challenging.
I think that the best art is always a little bit aggressive.
I don't think there's any such thing as a perfect canvas. There's only a canvas that works.
I'm not interested in making art that's comfortable. I'm interested in making art that's exciting.
My concern is with the work itself, not with the fuss around it.
Painting is a flat thing. The world is not flat.
I don't want to make 'issues' paintings.
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
Flatness in painting is the denial of illusionism.
I think art should be affirmative.
The painting has to work on its own.
Architecture is the art we live in.
I like the idea of the work being autonomous.
Color is a matter of taste and sensitivity.
The shaped canvas is a way to avoid the rectangular format.
Contemporaries of Frank Stella
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Frank Stella (1936).