Centum

Richard Anuszkiewicz studied in the 1940s and 50s at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and later at Yale under Joseph Albers, whose painting is displayed to the left. As in the work of his teacher, Anuszkiewicz consistently arranged colors—utilizing simple geometric shapes, smooth surfaces, and mathematical precision—to achieve a sense both of harmony and energy. This work, one of an edition of 40, is made up of 100 tiles that may be variously arranged. Through it the artist investigates how colors can create the illusion of depth and transparency although on a flat, opaque surface. Color energy, or the effect of the interaction of two juxtaposed colors on the optic nerve, is the central device: yellow, orange, and red dominate and seem to pulsate, limited by thin bands of green, blue, and purple. By varying the widths of the warm-colored bands, the artist produced the illusion of these intense hues diminishing as they are tempered by their complements. Although from a distance the colors seem to fade closer to their edges, all of the lines are precise and rigid.