Kenneth Noland, Flares: Away, 1991, acrylic on canvas on panel, 85-1/8" × 32" × 1-1/4" (216.2 cm × 81.3 cm × 3.2 cm)© The Kenneth Noland Foundation Curator's Choice Kenneth Noland Flares: Away, 1991 By Mark BeasleyNoland’s Flares dismantle (literally) the geometric shapes of his previous paintings and his Chevron, Diamond, and Stripe works. In Flares: Away (1991), two irregularly shaped canvases sit side by side, conjoined. The first vertical flash of crimson red touches gently upon its larger companion, a curved black “anchor” of supportive cloth, stretcher, and acrylic. The coupling is refined, exacting, and elegant like the pant hem of a Saville Row suit as it meets the curve of a classic Brogue. Between the two canvases is a critical space, as important as the “stuff” and matter of the canvases themselves. In short, we are witness to a master of color, space, and connection. Noland, a student at the seminal Black Mountain College, revolutionized the way we view painting, beyond the figurative and toward cool urbane abstraction to be name-checked alongside artists such as Ellsworth Kelly and Ad Reinhardt. To experience the Flares series is to be subject to a controlled riot of color and a community of irregular shapes—no longer confined to the rectangle.Explore Noland: Flares Journal View All Films Explore "Against Nature" with Matthew Day Jackson Jun 03, 2023 Essays Painting as Illusion: Matthew Day Jackson Discusses the Art Historical and Science Fictional Underpinnings of His New Landscapes Jun 02, 2023 Artist Projects Matthew Day Jackson and Made by Choice Unveil New Rainbow Lounge Chair Jun 02, 2023 Films A Conversation Between Nigel Cooke, Robert Macfarlane and Max Porter Jun 01, 2023 Essays — Curator's Choice: Kenneth Noland, Mar 27, 2020