Red, Red

About Red, Red

This contemporary abstract painting features a grid pattern in various shades of red as created by Milly Ristvedt.

In the 1990s Milly Ristvedt turned to the classic grid pattern as a form that allowed her to provide a sense of order to her exploration of color.
The series of grid paintings she created appeared in the form of classic checkerboards of color—this one in variations on red from soft pink to magenta to deep purple and cranberry accented by black and white. Brushstrokes are expressive and visibly textured, both horizontal and vertical. The effect adds movement to the piece.

“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

“She began working with basic grids as the chief structural principle of her work. But into that structural simplicity Ristvedt breathes a rich frost of color and texture. Each square in her grid has a personality of its own.”
Jeff Mahoney, The Hamilton Spectator 1994

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. 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.