“Union I” is an abstract artwork by Frank Stella, created in 1966. It is a notable example of the Color Field Painting movement, which is characterized by large fields of flat, solid color spread across the canvas, creating an area of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane. Stella’s work from this period emphasizes the canvas as an object rather than a space to represent, depict or illustrate.
The artwork is forthright in its simplicity and geometric abstraction. It features a large, vibrant pink triangle occupying the background, which is itself an irregular polygonal canvas shape, defying the traditional rectangular format. Within this pink expanse sits a bold yellow square, off-center and rotated, its sides parallel to the canvas edges, which are bevelled inwardly, giving a sense of dimensionality to the entire piece. Despite the simplicity of the forms, “Union I” has a dynamic quality owing to the contrast of colors and the interplay between the shapes. Stella’s focus on the physical properties of painting and his insistence on flatness redefine the relationship between the artwork and the viewer, asking one to consider the painting as an object itself rather than as a window into an illusory space.
