The artwork titled “Maltese Cross,” created by artist Al Held in 1964, belongs to the Hard Edge Painting movement and falls within the abstract genre.
The artwork features a decisively calculated geometric composition, predominantly characterized by its stark simplicity and bold contrasts. It presents a large white field, interrupted by four thick black lines that form a symmetrical cross pattern, extending outward from the center to the edges of the canvas. The intersections of these black lines feature vivid yellow rectangles, adding a striking contrast and focusing the viewer’s attention on the systematic, almost architectural structure of the piece. The sharp, crisp lines and unmodulated areas of color exemplify the principles of Hard Edge Painting, emphasizing clarity, precision, and an impersonal aesthetic devoid of expressive brushstrokes or texture.
