Fenestra #7

Description

Oli Sihvonen grew up in New York and studied at the experimental liberal arts school Black Mountain College in North Carolina. There he became influenced by Josef Albers and by the Bauhaus group to which Albers had belonged before moving to America from Germany. This group of artists tried to bridge the gap between art and modern industry. Later, Sihvonen lived and worked in Taos, New Mexico for ten years as a part of a collective called the Taos Moderns before settling in New York.
Sihvonen spent much of his painting career layering shapes onto a background. This technique is used in Fenestra #7, where the black and purple curves have a unique spatial relationship with the rectangular blue background. The opening and closing shapes create a sense of dynamism within the simple composition.
Regina DiBella
Modern and Contemporary Art Intern
Summer 2003