The Beginning

The Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC (the USA).

Magna on canvas.

Four circles on the square canvas are a powerful expression of pure abstraction. Their uneven pulsation, caused by bright contrasting colours and slightly rough outlines of the circles, creates physical sensations of the presence of powerful primitive energy. Kenneth Noland concentrated this energy in the very center of the composition, the center of the target, and the circles diverging from it spread it far beyond the boundaries of the canvas. According to the artist himself, he always sought to identify the center in his paintings, which is a source of strength and maintains the balance of the whole composition.