Artist: Ilya Bolotowsky
Title: Untitled
Medium: Original Oil on Paper
Sheet Size: 16.875" x 6.5"
Year: 1969
Inscription: Signed and dated on front lower right
Documentation: Includes Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Ilya Bolotowsky's "Untitled" is an original oil on paper from 1969 that reflects the artist's mature engagement with geometric abstraction and his enduring interest in verticality and architectural form. The composition presents a stylized interpretation of a skyscraper, constructed through elongated red rectangular planes juxtaposed with precise black linear elements. This interplay of color and line underscores Bolotowsky's commitment to clarity of structure, rhythm, and spatial harmony, hallmarks of his non-objective approach.
Executed with meticulous attention to proportion, the work demonstrates Bolotowsky's exploration of verticality as both formal and symbolic device. The red rectangles serve as visual anchors, guiding the viewer's eye upward, while the black line work provides a counterpoint that reinforces balance and tension within the composition. Through these elements, the painting evokes the urban landscape without resorting to literal representation, exemplifying Bolotowsky's philosophy that abstraction can convey both energy and equilibrium.
The artist's precise handling of oil on paper highlights his technical mastery, as the medium allows for a delicate yet saturated application of color that emphasizes the contrast between geometric shapes and linear elements. The work operates on multiple levels, engaging the viewer with both its compositional rigor and its emotive resonance, characteristic of Bolotowsky's post-war oeuvre.
"Untitled" is signed and dated on the lower right of the sheet and includes a gallery Certificate of Authenticity. The sheet measures 16.875" × 6.5". This piece represents a thoughtful synthesis of architectural inspiration, abstract form, and color theory, illustrating Bolotowsky's enduring contribution to American abstraction in the mid-20th century.
About Ilya Bolotowsky
Ilya Bolotowsky (b. July 1, 1907, St. Petersburg, Russia – d. November 22, 1981, New York City) was a Russian‑American painter whose lifelong dedication to abstraction positioned him as a foundational figure in the development of geometric and non‑objective art in the United States. National Gallery of Art+3Wikipedia+3Smithsonian American Art Museum+3
After immigrating to New York in 1923, Bolotowsky enrolled at the National Academy of Design (1924‑1930) and subsequently worked as a textile designer, while absorbing the avant‑garde currents of Europe. His early exposure to Cubism, the Russian Constructivists and later to the Dutch De Stijl movement via the work of Piet Mondrian informed his conviction that abstraction could serve as a visual language of harmony, tension and equilibrium. brightcolors.com
In 1936, Bolotowsky co‑founded the American Abstract Artists (AAA), a collective formed to advocate for abstraction at a time when many American institutions remained committed to representational art. His early murals for the Federal Art Project broke new ground in the United States by deploying purely abstract imagery in a public context. Wikipedia+1
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Bolotowsky's signature style emerged: compositions built on horizontal and vertical lines, flat planes of colour, and carefully calibrated relationships of form and hue. He articulated a philosophy of "tense flatness"—the notion that colour and form on a two‑dimensional surface could generate a felt energy without creating illusionistic depth. bmcyearbook.org+1
Bolotowsky's teaching career was as influential as his studio practice. He served on the faculty at institutions including Black Mountain College (1946–48), replacing Josef Albers during his sabbatical, and later at Brooklyn College, the University of Wyoming, SUNY New Paltz, and the University of Wisconsin. Through his pedagogy, he mentored a generation of abstract artists and reinforced the validity of structured abstraction in America. blackmountaincollege.org+1
Bolotowsky's work is held in major institutional collections worldwide and has been the subject of retrospectives that underscore his role in shaping American abstraction. His art presents abstraction not as an escape from reality but as a rigorous pursuit of visual order, proportion and meditation. In the context of the post‑war era, his paintings and prints stand as compelling statements of formal discipline infused with poetic subtlety.
Ilya Bolotowsky's contribution to abstract art lies in his persistent search for equilibrium through geometry and color, his pioneering role in American non‑objective art, and his commitment to teaching and dissemination of abstraction—in which art becomes a philosophical as well as visual practice.
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