Howardena Pindell (American, b. 1943)
Homage to the Square, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
With thousands of her signature circles in whites and pastels, Howardena Pindell pays tribute to artist and mentor Joseph Albers (German-American, 1888–1976), one of the greatest color theorists of the 20th century. An homage in both design and title, Pindell incorporates Albers’s signature squares and gives her work the same title he used throughout his career. A multi-disciplinary artist, scholar, professor, curator, and activist who began her career in the 1970s, Pindell never shied away from sharing the realities of being a Black woman in the arts. While more non-Black female artists working in abstraction found opportunities to exhibit their work in the early 70s, and her peers began to rise in their curatorial roles, Pindell remained sidelined in both realms. Yet, Pindell always persisted.
For Pindell, the circle has limitless potential in its formal qualities. Pindell uses it in her abstractions in various ways. She makes small paper circles with a hole punch, often paints them, and then stacks one upon the other. She also uses sheets with punched-out circles as a stencil, spraying layers of paint through the holes and right onto the canvas. Pindell used this technique in Homage to the Square. Circles are also personal and metaphoric for Pindell. As a young child eating at a restaurant, she lifted her cup and noticed a red circle on it, learning around age five that even restaurant dishes were segregated. Circles have other potencies as well, including transcendent, meditative, even supernatural qualities, both for Pindell and many others.
About Art Bridges Foundation
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Founded in 2017, Art Bridges creates and supports projects that share works of American art with communities across the United States and its territories. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 300 museums—impacting 25 million people nationwide—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.
Additional Resources
“Howardena Pindell: Inner Circle”
Art21 "Extended Play"