Line of Spirit

Kenneth Noland studied at Black Mountain College in North Carolina from 1946 to 1948. Under the guidance of Josef Albers and Ilya Bolotowsky, Noland was introduced to color theory and modern art, including the work of the artists Piet Mondrian and Paul Klee. He also studied in Paris with the French sculptor Ossip Zadkine between 1948 and 1949. Associated with Abstract Expressionism, Noland experimented with techniques like staining canvases; however, as his style matured, he moved away from the Abstract Expressionist ideal of an all-over composition, instead working toward a clear center in his work. Geometric shapes such as circles, elliptical forms, and chevrons became the focus of Noland’s work. He developed his chevron motif, which is composed of several bands of color placed on an axis, around 1962.

A number of Noland’s paintings were adapted into tapestry designs by Gloria F. Ross. In 1979 Ross arranged to have tapestries that had been specially designed by Noland woven by Navajo weavers. Noland’s use of large areas of unshaded color lent itself to the style of Navajo weavers because the looms they used produced flat, even surfaces heightened by blocks of pure color. Sadie Curtis, who had already produced several other Noland designs, was chosen to weave Line of Spirit. Her work is often executed in natural, undyed wools that she weaves at home in Kinlichee, Arizona.