Untitled,

1962–79

This shade of red, known as cadmium red, plays a recurring role in Judd’s printed and sculptural works, due to the artist’s belief that the color “makes an object sharp and defines its contours,” creating a crisp, easily perceptible form. His preference for the color also stemmed from an interest in Barnett Newman’s use of red for his characteristic “zips,” which confounded the traditional division between figure and ground in painting, as seen nearby. Here, the stamping of the woodblock and the negative space between the strips of paint create a similar effect. The process of printmaking functions as a logical extension of the artist’s Minimalist interests, including the mechanization of artistic production and collaborative fabrication processes.