Black and White

1954

Black and White, 1954. Franz Kline (American, 1910–1962). Oil on yellow-beige wove paper, laid down on cream wove paper; sheet: 31.7 x 25.2 cm (12 1/2 x 9 15/16 in.); secondary support: 32.4 x 26 cm (12 3/4 x 10 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Contemporary Collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art 1961.134 © The Franz Kline Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Known for his abstract paintings of bold interlocking forms in black and white paint, Franz Kline made many drawings, using the medium to work out his ideas quickly. Once he discovered a compelling image through this process. he worked directly from it to create a painting. This sheet does not directly correspond to a canvas, although it is generally related to a work from 1961. Its title was probably assigned by the artist's gallery, as he typically left his works untitled. Kline often worked with cheap, plentiful paper, such as telephone pages.