Artwork by Ellsworth Kelly, , dated 1963
Artwork by Ellsworth Kelly, , dated 1963

Red on Blue, 1963
Ink on paper
6⅞ × 5 inches; 18 × 13 cm
Signed and dated in graphite (lower right verso): Kelly 1963

A red ellipse appears to emerge from the lower-left corner of this richly colored ink drawing, like the edge of a lily pad. Kelly deployed this strikingly simple composition in multiple formats and color combinations around this time, including Orange Green (1964) and the relief sculpture Blue on Blue (1963).

<p><em>Orange Green</em>, 1964<br />Oil on canvas<br />The Museum of Modern Art, New York<br /><br /><em>Blue on Blue</em>, 1963<br />Painted aluminum<br />Los Angeles County Museum of Art</p>

Orange Green, 1964
Oil on canvas
The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Blue on Blue, 1963
Painted aluminum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art

The curvilinear form and the palette of this drawing are also echoed in the overlapping curves of the sculpture Blue Red Rocker, which he made the same year.

<p><em>Blue Red Rocker</em>, 1963<br />Painted aluminum<br />Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam</p>

Blue Red Rocker, 1963
Painted aluminum
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam