Nr. 1, of "Sixteen Constellations"
Lithograph by Max Bill (1974)
(Detail)
Nr. 1, of "Sixteen Constellations"
Lithograph by Max Bill (1974)
(Detail)
the suite of sixteen constellations is a closed series that deals with the
theme of three circular lines of the same length.
the system on which this theme is based was first carried out in a painting
of 1944 that was made up of three circular curves. this was the beginning
of my research into problems related to the vibration that takes place on
the edges of colour. in 1954 i transformed the theme and did a lithograph
in 1946 entitled "four accents of the same length". in a painting of the
same year i interpreted each line by a different colour. this also belongs
to my research into the vibration of colours. in the last version (lithograph
as well as painting) the fourth line was a straight line.
in 1960 I took up that theme again and modified it into the present form.
my friend gualtieri di san lazzaro, who in 1938 published the portfolio
of "fifteen variations on a single theme" (paris, edition des chroniques
du jour) expressed his desire to publish a second one.
a few weeks after the printing of the sisteen constellations, gualtieri
died, the seventh of september 1974.
max bill
1974
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