Active Object (Yellow)
Willys de Castro
Brazilian, 1926–1988
1959-60
An oil-on-canvas-on-board work that reduces painting to a luminous yellow plane with tiny blue accents, deliberately made to function as an “active” object that activates the viewer’s perception.
You first notice an almost uninterrupted, warm yellow field whose calm is subtly disrupted by a thin blue strip at the left edge and a small blue notch on the right, making the flat surface feel quietly animated.
Created within Brazil’s Concrete-art milieu, this piece is part of de Castro’s experiments in turning paintings into objects that blur the line between painting and sculpture and prioritize perceptual engagement.
Medium
Oil on canvas on board
Dimensions
13 3/4 × 27 9/16 × 3/16" (35 × 70 × 0.5 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Patricia Phelps de Cisneros through the Latin American and Caribbean Fund in honor of Lord and Lady Foster
Accession
808.2016
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
