Getting at the rapture of seeing
Ellsworth Kelly and visual experience
pp. 299-304
in: Babette Babich (ed), Hermeneutic philosophy of science, van Gogh's eyes, and God, Berlin, Springer, 2002Abstract
It may be exaggerated to call Ellsworth Kelly "the most profoundly classical of all American artists," as one London critic put it, but I am persuaded that his singular vision and achievement deserves even higher ranking than it has until recently received in the annals of 20th century American art.1 A series of recent exhibitions, and in particular, the great international retrospective of 1996–1997 have added new luster to his reputation (whereas the Museum of Modern Art's equally ambitious 1996 retrospective of Jasper Johns had just the opposite effect).2 After more than 50 years of artistry, Kelly has proven himself remarkably consistent, independent, and, yes, even morally inspiring.