FAMILYGUIDE
FRANK
STELLA
IRREGULAR POLYGONS1965–66
A guide to use in the
exhibition and at home.
Does a painting have to be
a rectangle?
Contemporary artist Frank Stella didn’t think his paintings
had to be. In this gallery you’ll notice all of the works of art
are painted on canvases that have been cut and stretched to
make other shapes.
Using the Family Guide, learn more about the artist Frank
Stella and discover how he uses the elements of shape, line,
and color in his abstract works of art.
Words to know
Shape is a flat area, like a square or circle, that has clear
borders
Line is a path made by a point moving in space, like a long
mark made with a pencil.
Color is what we see because of light reflecting off of things.
Close your eyes and imagine you are standing in a dark room.
Do you see color?
Abstract art is art that does not show objects as they appear
in the world around us. Sometimes abstract art doesn’t show
objects at all—but shapes, lines, and colors placed together.
Thank you for helping us protect the art!
● Feel free to sit on the floor as you talk, write, or d
● Please remember not to touch works of art.
do The
not moisture
lean on display cases, pedestals, or walls.
and oils from our hands damage the art over time.
● For the safety of the art, only pencils (not pens) may be used
in the museum. Please ask a member of the security and
visitor services staff if you need a pencil to do the drawing
a painting have to be a rectangle? Contempora
and writing activities in this familyDoes
guide.
Frank Stella didn’t think his paintings had to be. This Fam
● Please do not point at works of art with pencils or this
lead you through an exploration of eleven of his shaped
family guide.
paintings stretched onto irregularly shaped frames to cr
● Feel free to sit on the floor as you forms
talk, write,
or draw
on the
wall. but
do not lean on display cases, pedestals, or walls.
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you drew
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Does a painting have to be a rectangle? Contemporary
artist
shape
bounded
by straight lines.
in the
exhibition
Frank Stella didn’t think his paintingsLook
hadattothe
be.paintings
This Family
Guide
will to find the polygons
shown below.
Do you recognize
any other polygons in the
lead you through an exploration of eleven
of you
his shaped
canvases—
Can
find these
polygons in the paintings in the larg
paintings?
paintings stretched onto irregularly shaped
to create interesting
topframes
of the stairs?
forms on the wall.
Shape: What is a Polygon?
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I R R E G U L A R P O LYG O N S
The paintings by Frank Stella in this exhibition are
Square
Rectangle
called his Irregular Polygon series. A polygon is a flat
shape bounded by straight lines.
Choose anothe
Pa
Can you find these polygons in the paintings in the large gallery at the
top of the stairs?
Trapezoid
Triangle
An irregular polygon is made up of uneven sides and an
find some of these irregular polygons in the works?
Square
Rectangle
Parallelogram
g us protect the art!
ot to touch works of art. The moisture
ands damage the art over time.
e art, only pencils (not pens) may be used
ase ask a member of the security and
f if you need a pencil to do the drawing
es in this family guide.
t at works of art with pencils or this
he floor as you talk, write, or draw but
play cases, pedestals, or walls.
Shape: What is an Irregular
Polygon?
An irregular polygon is a closed shape that has unequal
sides and angles. A square is not an irregular polygon because
Bands of color run along the edge of many of
it has four equal sides.
these shapes. Sometimes the band goes all the
way around and sometimes it leaves a side
open.Stella
Can you
find an
exampleare
of each?
The paintings by Frank
in this
exhibition
calledWhat
the
effect do continuous and partial bands have on
Irregular Polygon series.
works
oflooks?
art combine both
the wayThese
a colored
shape
regular and irregular polygons. You’ll notice the shapes look
like they are layered, connected, or even pushing each other
out of the way.
Wolfeboro IV, 1966, fluorescent alkyd and epoxy paints on canvas.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution:
Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972. © 2010 Frank Stella/Artist Rights
Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Steven Sloman
Trace the outside edge of each of these irregular
polygons.
Findthethe
shapes
ineach
theofpaintings
in this
If you
were to trace
outside
edge of
these paintings,
the
shape
you drew would form an irregular polygon. Trace the outlines
gallery.
below. Can you match them to paintings in the gallery?
be a rectangle? Contemporary artist
s paintings had to be. This Family Guide will
oration of eleven of his shaped canvases—
rregularly shaped frames to create interesting
E G U L A R P O LYG O N S
ntings by Frank Stella in this exhibition are
is Irregular Polygon series. A polygon is a flat
ounded by straight lines.
Choose another work in this gallery and draw its outside edge below.
Line
Frank Stella uses thick lines, or bands,
of color to help us see the shapes in his
paintings. Sometimes these bands go
all the way around a shape, giving it an
outline. Sometimes a side is left open
without a band.
Bands may be zig-zags or look almost like
letters.
Look at the paintings to find an example of:
• an outline
• a line that doesn’t go all the way around
a shape
• a zig-zag
• line that looks like a letter
Add your own lines to the irregular
polygon on this page.
Color
Color has three parts: hue, intensity, and value.
• Hue is the name of the color—like blue or red.
• Are the colors bright or dull? This is called the intensity of
the color.
• Are the colors light or dark? This is the value of the color.
Frank Stella used colors of different hues, intensities, and
values in his Irregular Polygon paintings. How he combined
the colors makes our eyes see the shapes in certain ways—
do some of them seem to pop out? Do others seem to shrink
back?
Look closely at a work of art in this gallery. Pick one of the
colors in the painting and fill in the blanks in the sentence
below to make your own colorful statement about a Frank
Stella painting!
The _________in the painting is so _________________
hue (color)
the color’s intensity
that it reminds me of ___________________________!
Example: The red in the painting is so bright that it reminds
me of Rudolph’s nose!
Make Your Own Stellainspired Irregular Polygon
An activity to do at home: Cut along the lines of the shapes
below and on the next page. Then put the four shapes together
to create your own irregular polygon—or mix and match them
to make two!
More Shapes to Make Your
Own Irregular Polygon
An activity to do at home: Cut along the lines of the shapes
below. Fit the shapes together or overlap them to create new
shapes. You can also color them in or add lines like Frank
Stella did with his paintings.
...Then Name It!
The works of art in this exhibition were named
after small towns in New Hampshire where
Frank Stella fished and camped with his father
when he was a young boy.
Does your Irregular Polygon remind you of
somewhere you like to go or something you like
to do? Does it remind you of a favorite toy? A
building?
Glue or tape the Irregular Polygon you made on this page, and give it a title.
Title:
Who is Frank Stella?
Frank Stella is an American painter and sculptor who was
born in 1936. He has been creating works of art for over 50
years! He is one of the most famous abstract artists alive.
In 2010 he was given the National Medal of the Arts by
President Barack Obama.
Frank Stella in his studio, April 2009.
Photo by Brian Kennedy.
“The whole idea of making art is to be open, to
be generous, and absorb the viewer and absorb
yourself, to let them go into it.” – Frank Stella
BOMB Magazine, Spring 2000
Cover: Wolfeboro IV, 1966, fluorescent alkyd and epoxy paints on canvas. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden, Smithsonian Institution: Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972; p. 6: Conway I, 1966, fluorescent alkyd and
epoxy paints on canvas. Collection of the artist. Photo by Steven Sloman; p. 8: Sanbornville III, 1966, fluorescent
alkyd and epoxy paints on canvas. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York: Gift of Joseph A. Helman, New York.
Photo by Geoffrey Clements; All works ©2011 Frank Stella / Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Thanks to Vivian Ladd, Museum Educator, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, for portions of this guide.
© 2011 Toledo Museum of Art
This exhibition was organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College. Special exhibitions supported in part by the
generous members of the Toledo Museum of Art and the Ohio Arts Council.