Camouflaging Design

The architectural sculptor Ellsworth Kelly was influenced by his brief education at New
York's Pratt Institute in his early career and subsequent artworks. We can see this by the
modernist principles of design he employed in his work Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture for a Large
Wall, 1957. This lobby-sculpture screen was recovered from its derelict building and restored
for his exhibition in the spring of 1998. It was commissioned by architect Vincent G. Klings
Penn Center office park in downtown Philadelphia for the then new Transportation Building as
decorative architectural wall mount to be placed inside above the elevator lobby and facing the
doors. At any one time it could only be viewed partially as one could not back away far enough
from it to get a clear view of its entire 11 by 65 foot dimensions, comprised of 104 color
panels of anodized aluminum mounted on piping and angled at irregular degrees forward and
back. In the proper lighting, this resulted in a patterning of light and shadow that would cause the
subject to be subconsciously lost to the viewers attention, thus the camouflage aspect of his
design that he acquired from exposure to Pratts Industrial Camouflage classes, meant for
military application.
Although Kelly never attributed much to his two year education at Pratt Institute, the
evidence presented by this article that suggests he was influenced in his early work is
compelling. The main subject in question, Sculpture for a Large Wall, 1957, is a prime example
for such concepts in commercial design culture as camouflage murals that create space without
drawing the attention.

Galligan, G. (2016, May). Camouflaging design. Art in America, May 2016, 102-111.