Yves Klein and the Classic Blue

Haines, Gabriella Daisy

Item

Yves Klein and the Classic Blue

Haines, Gabriella Daisy

Abstract

This thesis focuses on a development of works by Yves Klein focusing on his blue monochrome paintings, The Void, Anthropomètries, Blue Venus, and Nike of Samothrace. These are used in order to gain a sense of his stylistic development and rejection of any classical notion of traditional painting in his early years yet through this rejection, he ultimately returns to classical canons within his works. The main argument of this thesis is how an artist, who rejected all notions of the classical tradition of painting, ended up being so inherently classical in his works through figuration, colour, and replication of two sculptures from classical antiquity.