I’ve posted before about Ellsworth Kelly’s Sketchbooks: see A Wonderfully Messy Sketchbook.
I had to return to the topic after seeing a wonderful reel of sketchbook images on the Instagram page of EK100.org, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Ellsworth Kelly’s birth. A couple of screen grabs below:
Apparently he kept lots of sketchbooks, drawing and capturing ideas of colors and shapes when he was out and about, and also using notebooks to document technical details about his paintings. From an ArtNews article about various Ellsworth Kelly exhibitions for the centenary:
One of these exhibitions is a show of 25 of Kelly’s sketchbooks at the Museum of Modern Art, which Shear recently gifted to the museum, on view through June 11. Working out compositions on paper first was a regular, if unseen, part of the artist’s practice.
“His sketchbooks reveal the particularities of his unique process—the persistent experimentation and investigation—as well as the real-world references that often inspired his seemingly nonobjective compositions,” notes Christophe Cherix, MoMA’s chief curator of drawings and prints. Kelly’s creations, constellations of hard-edged abstract shapes in dazzling color, disguise any hint that they’re based in observation of something real. “Both eminently private and practical, these sketchbooks extend a unique behind-the-scenes invitation,” Cherix adds.
Kelly took sketchbooks with him everywhere, but mostly kept them to himself, moving onto the next sketchbook as soon as one was full. “Kelly’s sketchbooks are both the treasure and the treasure map,” says Cherix, “leading us into a secret world where art is lived and breathed.”
Read more at : Ellsworth Kelly Was Born 100 Years Ago and Museums Are Commemorating Him with Focused Exhibitions
More about the exhibit at MoMA.
You can also see more images of Kelly’s work at ellsworthkelly.org, or in various books about his work (including a new one about his portraits, which is surprising given how known he is for his abstract work!)
Some other articles referencing Ellsworth Kelly sketchbooks:
Thanks for the info and the links! So fascinating to see an artist’s sketchbook and get a peek into the creative process.