Untitled (Kufa Gate Shape)

Untitled (Kufa Gate Shape) belongs to Stella's Protractor series, begun in 1967 and concluded in 1971. The Protractor series, which consists of ninety-three paintings based on thirty-one distinct formats, each one rendered in three different designs, represents the artist's initial engagement with curvilinear compositions. Like other works from the series, Untitled is distinguished by its bright, artificial palette consisting of fluorescent and pastel hues, as well as its shaped canvas, whose right, left, and bottom edges are straight, but whose top edge bends into an irregular 'V'. The composition consists of precisely rendered bands whose form and directionality echo the shape of the canvas, curving down into nested arcs reminiscent of a protractor. Untitled is named after the Great Mosque of Kufa, or the Masjid al-Kūfa, in Kūfa, Iraq, built in the 7th century, which features five gates through which worshippers access the interior of the structure.