Frank Stella Biografie

«I’ve been educated in some pretty lively barrooms, like the Cedar Bar in New York. And I went to high school with Frank Stella and when he got out of college he went to New York and started painting… …I was working with sculpture in a kind of dilatory way, and he said to come up and work in his tiny loft when he wasn’t there. At the same time I sort of dabbled in a little bit of painting, and a kind of confusion.I was an eye, ear, nose, and throat person too... ...One day Frank Stella just said to me, “Look, if you paint another painting I’m going to cut off your hands.” I asked, “Can’t I become a good painter?” Frank said, “No, because you are a good sculptor now.” That’s really my formal education... ...the company of artists is the great education. We educate each other. I’ve learned from older, wiser people by the old Greek method of sitting down and drinking with them. And that’s how I received my education.»

«Kunst schließt das nicht Notwendige aus. Frank Stella hat es für notwendig befunden, Streifen zu malen. Nichts sonst ist in seinen Bildern. Frank Stella ist nicht interessiert an Ausdruck oder Empfindungsfähigkeit. Er ist interessiert an den Notwendigkeiten von Malerei. Symbole sind Zählmarken, die unter den Leuten kursieren. Frank Stellas Malerei ist nicht symbolisch. Seine Streifen sind die Wege des Pinsels auf der Leinwand. Diese Wege führen allein in die Malerei.»

«Ich ging nach Hause und wusste, dass ich von vorne anfangen musste. [nach einem Ausstellungsbesuch bei Frank Stella]»