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Lot Essay
Projecting out from the flat plane of the wall, the geometric forms of the surface of Untitled and the punctuated empty spaces between them articulate a three-dimensional spatial play just as a painting achieves an illusion. It was Judd's hope the articulation of the contrast between the flat plane of the wall and the relief of the work itself would, depending on its placement, invoke a wider understanding of the entire architecture of the space onto which it was set. As he stated, "Low and high relief are basically painting, possessing the same problems, as well as some of their own" (D. Judd, quoted in N. Serota, ed., Donald Judd, exh. cat., Tate Gallery, London, 2004, p. 188).
Like Flavin's proclivity for the ready-made tubes of florescent light in industry standard colors, Judd too strove to work with materials of his own time. In his seminal treatise, Specific Objects, Judd noted that objects conceived by his contemporaries, involve new materials, either recent inventions or things not used before in art. Almost nothing has been done with industrial techniques and, because of the cost, probably won't be for some time (D. Judd, 'Specific Objects', Arts Yearbook 8, 1965). In terms of these industrial materials, Judd was primarily drawn to those that could retain their specific appearance throughout his transformative process. Drawn to the vivid qualities of commercial paint, Judd preferred anodized aluminum for its ability to take on pure chromatic color in its very facture. The conflation of industrial material and aestheticism allows Judd's anodized aluminum sculptures such as Untitled to adopt an unearthly beauty that is both separate from and rooted in the material's utilitarian use. Judd's use of the rich red coloring here only serves to augment these qualities, allowing the anodized aluminum to gain further autonomy from its industrial definitions. By restricting himself to a strict lexicon of stereometric forms, Judd enables materiality and color to evoke an astonishing range of moods and experiences.
Like Flavin's proclivity for the ready-made tubes of florescent light in industry standard colors, Judd too strove to work with materials of his own time. In his seminal treatise, Specific Objects, Judd noted that objects conceived by his contemporaries, involve new materials, either recent inventions or things not used before in art. Almost nothing has been done with industrial techniques and, because of the cost, probably won't be for some time (D. Judd, 'Specific Objects', Arts Yearbook 8, 1965). In terms of these industrial materials, Judd was primarily drawn to those that could retain their specific appearance throughout his transformative process. Drawn to the vivid qualities of commercial paint, Judd preferred anodized aluminum for its ability to take on pure chromatic color in its very facture. The conflation of industrial material and aestheticism allows Judd's anodized aluminum sculptures such as Untitled to adopt an unearthly beauty that is both separate from and rooted in the material's utilitarian use. Judd's use of the rich red coloring here only serves to augment these qualities, allowing the anodized aluminum to gain further autonomy from its industrial definitions. By restricting himself to a strict lexicon of stereometric forms, Judd enables materiality and color to evoke an astonishing range of moods and experiences.