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Joatinga by Frank Stella
Photo CreditPhotograph by Steven Sloman, New York
Joatinga
Photo CreditPhotograph by Steven Sloman, New York

Joatinga

Artist
Year1975
Classification sculpture
Medium painted aluminum
Dimensions102 x 189 in. (259.1 x 480.1 cm)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • Through the use of brilliantly colored, opaque and translucent lacquers, the etched aluminum surfaces of Frank Stella's Joatinga appear to glow like rays of light emitting from a central focal point.  Stella has composed a dynamic collage of metallic beams and triangles.  The artwork's bold presence is softened by the artist's use of frosted pastel colors.  These juxtapositions of colors and textures, along with the smooth and etched surfaces that are rubbed with semi-matte and glossy paints, alternately clarify and obscure the artwork's compositional structure.  Joatinga is part of Stella’s Brazil series, and takes its name from a picturesque neighborhood and beach in Rio de Janeiro.