Geometric Composition

To create this work, Frank Stella used six colors of Benjamin Moore wall paint, straight from the can. Notice how the colors are similar to those of a rainbow, from red to violet or violet to red, depending on where you look first. Follow the composition with your eyes. Which colored squares seem to move backward? Which squares seem to move forward?

Make a composition using only one geometric shape. It could be a circle, a triangle, a rectangle, or a square. Cover your piece of paper with pencil drawings of your shape. They can be big or small, spaced apart or next to each other. Use up to six different colored paints or markers to add color to the shapes and spaces you created.

See all Whitney Kids Art Challenges.

A series of brightly colored, nested squares
A series of brightly colored, nested squares

Frank Stella, Gran Cairo, 1962. Alkyd on canvas, 85 9/16 × 85 9/16 in. (217.3 × 217.3 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Friends of the Whitney Museum of American Art 63.34. © Frank Stella/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

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