The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 24, 2025
The River (State)
2003
(American, 1923–2015)
Sheet: 101.6 x 276.9 cm (40 x 109 in.); Framed: 120.6 x 295.8 x 8.9 cm (47 1/2 x 116 7/16 x 3 1/2 in.)
© Ellsworth Kelly
Location: Not on view
Description
During a visit to Basel, Switzerland, Ellsworth Kelly stood on the balcony of his hotel room one evening and became mesmerized by the reflections of the lights from a nearby bridge onto the rapid and rugged flow of the Rhine River. The scene inspired Kelly to execute The River (State) at Gemini G.E.L., an important printmaking workshop in Los Angeles which has a press large enough to produce this monumental lithograph printed in gray and two shades of black. Juxtaposing four equal vertical sections, each of which depicts the river at a different angle, intensifies the sensations of shimmering light and rushing water. Kelly is most well-known for paintings, prints, and sculptures that are brightly colored, free-form shapes. These, as well as all of his work, have their initial basis in nature, in actual perceptions of the world. A particular configuration—an open doorway, the gentle curve of a hill, light reflected on water—will seize his attention. He distills this observed form into pure, abstract shape.- Glaubinger, Jane. "Fresh Prints: Take a look at the museum's contemporary print acquisitions over the past 25 years.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 55, no. 2 (March/April 2015): 4-5. Reproduced: p. 4; Mentioned: p. 4, 5 archive.org
- Fresh Prints: The Nineties to Now. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 22-July 26, 2015).The Cleveland Museum of Art (3/22/2015 - 7/26/2015); "Fresh Prints: The Nineties to Now"
- {{cite web|title=The River (State)|url=false|author=Ellsworth Kelly|year=2003|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2004.66