Soaking in rainbow light

I’ve been thinking a lot about light lately. Maybe because we are heading toward the winter solstice, when late afternoons slip into evening with that telltale glow of golden light. Inspired by the rich tapestry of autumn colors, I decided to make another pilgrimage to Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin, an iconic structure built on the grounds of the Blanton Museum of Art, and one of my favorite haunts.

When I heard that the University of Texas campus was the destination for a walk-in work of art designed by Ellsworth Kelly, I was elated. I admire his rigorous artistic integrity, mastery of abstract geometric forms, and use of bold color. Kelly’s paintings and sculptures have been at the top of my A-list for years. 

This large-scale artwork, with its limestone walls, double-barrel vaulted design, and colored glass windows, has the meditative feel of an ancient, sacred space. But Kelly intentionally created a non-religious, meditative sanctuary bathed with the sun-driven colors of the rainbow. Inside are fourteen black and white polished marble paintings and a spare, totem-like sculpture.

Every visit is unique, changing with the time of day, season, and weather conditions. Today, crisp midday sunlight streamed through the southern exposure with a dappled kaleidoscope of brilliant jewel tones. It was impossible NOT to step into the glowing pools of red and blue; then orange, yellow, violet, and electric neon green. 

What is it about this dazzling display of sunlight and glass that is so swoon-inducing? 

I’m not sure. But I have a hunch it has something to do with a delicious collision between the sacred and the secular. We all know that stained glass windows belong in churches. But here they are, defiantly breaking the rules in a non-chapel chapel designed by a “nonbeliever” artist who is not an architect, and who is not known to work in stained glass. Simple, yet somehow divine—a marvelous example of what color can do when an artist paints with light.

Here’s to breaking the rules!