Indivisible
More Works By Milly Ristvedt, RCA Acrylic on Canvas 1992
30 × 60 in
76.2 × 152.4 cm
$15,000
About Indivisible
In the hands of master colourist Milly Ristvedt, the classic grid pattern becomes more than a ‘container’ for colour. Hailed by critics and collectors as one of Canada’s finest abstract artists, in the 1990s Ristvedt used the geometric form of the grid to express a dynamic visual narrative. ‘Indifference’ showcases Ristvedt’s formidable ability to use subtle hues in pinks, creamy whites, lilac and sky blue framed by four jet-black squares. A single punch of colour—deep turquoise draws the viewer’s eye.“The grid is a commonplace and omnipresent structure. The intersection of vertical and horizontal represents many things in human history. It is as old as this planet’s gravity and our attempts to stand erect on it. Its mystical associations are numerous. Repeated, these directional forces become the web that holds everything together.” Milly Ristvedt
“Ristvedt’s grids are neither neutral nor arbitrary, but rather distillations of deeply felt experience, responses to the specific, meditations in place.”
Karen Wilkin NYC Art Critic
“Ristvedt’s history, replete with accomplishments and honours, still fails to prepare a viewer for the inventiveness, technical brilliance and dynamism of her canvases. The three works now part of the national collection show something of this uncommon degree of achievement.” Adam Welch, Associate Curator, Modern Art, Art Gallery of Ontario
Milly Ristvedt was born in British Columbia and studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr University). Her first solo exhibit was at the Carmen Lamanna Gallery in Toronto. In the late 1960s, Ristvedt shared a studio with famed Canadian painter Jack Bush, met art critic Clement Greenberg and was inspired by American painters Jules Olitiski and Frank Stella. Her work has been included in many publications, She was elected to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 2004 and honoured with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
She has won seven Canada Council awards and two Ontario Arts Council awards and had over 50 solo exhibitions and been part of countless group shows. Ristvedt's work can be found in major public collections throughout North America including the National Gallery of Canada.
Milly Ristvedt is represented exclusively by the Oeno Gallery.