Homage to the Square: Polar is a superb iteration from one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable artistic series of the Twentieth Century. Josef Albers devoted over two decades of his life to his Homage to the Square series, which remains one of art history’s greatest investigations into the perception of colour. Executed in 1963, the present work is rare in its large scale, measuring over one metre in height and width. It is imbued with chromatic nuance and geometric subtlety, a test.mes nt to the power of repetition and the infinite variability of colour. Three simple superimposed squares of paint are applied directly onto coats of white Liquitex with a palette knife from the tube, with the ambition to highlight the power and seduction of colour and its perception by the human eye. Created on the artist’s archetypal Masonite surface, the present work rigorously plunders the aesthetic potential of geometry via three different tones and intensities of hues.

Albers considered the composition of squares, in which the placement on the canvas remained consistent throughout all the works in the series, to primarily operate as “platters to serve color” (Josef Albers quoted in: Getulio Alviani, Josef Albers, Milan 1998, p. 10). A tribute to repetition, in which the artist consistently worked within a predetermined set of self-imposed constraints, Albers challenged himself to constantly reinvent himself by recreating an almost identical image over-and-over again in one of the most disciplined and conceptually rigorous bodies of work ever conceived by any artist. Each colour is placed in direct contact with the next, creating a heightened chromatic effect intensifying the properties of the differing shades. In the present work, Albers places from the centre of the composition outwards a lemon yellow, pastel mint green and a bright white. To further increase these effects, Albers replaced the traditional canvas medium with the rough side of Masonite, preferring its raw texture. Applying paint directly from the tube, Albers produced a sense of freshness and immediacy. He meticulously applied the paint with a palette knife to create a uniform surface, allowing the viewer to become completely absorbed in the effects of the colours as they respond to one another. The contrasting pigments create a sense of depth and perspective in an otherwise flat pictorial plane. The resulting compositions, in which Albers methodically replicates squares within squares, are a test.mes nt to the artist’s status as perhaps the most masterful colourist of the twentieth century. Throughout the series, the artist only slightly adjusts a limited set of variables such as scale, size of squares, and colour. By reducing the variations of content, Albers encourages the viewer to focus on just one powerful variable: the infinite possibilities of colour.

Albers’ revolutionary techniques cement him as one of the most influential artists of the Twentieth century. Not only his work but also his teaching philosophy served as an influence on many important postwar artists. As a leading figure at the legendary Black Mountain College, Albers taught the likes of Ruth Asawa, Kenneth Noland, Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg. While teaching at Yale, Eva Hesse and Richard Serra were students. Even stretching to the minimalist works of Donald Judd, the thread of Albers’ impact is woven through the fabric of postwar American art.