2024-04-23
Yves Klein is one of the most acclaimed artists of the 20th century. The king of blue monochromatism, the creator of IKB (International Klein Blue), also commonly known as ultramarine, which was officially registered as his invention. He painted as many as 194 paintings in which he used his innovative technique to achieve deep color intensity. How can we interpret Yves Klein's color, with which we inextricably associate his art?
How to represent the absence of boundaries and tangible form through art? How to make the viewers, by looking at a work of art, involuntarily immerse themselves in the metaphysical nature of their own experience? Members of the French New Realism, which Klein co-founded, knew how to address these issues in art. They did not come out with their own particular interpretation but created works whose main purpose was to directly affect the emotions of the viewers.
One canvas and one color. A monochromatic blue applied in a thick layer that completely dominates the painting. For Klein, the use of a single, intense tone is like a metaphorical window that opens to freedom. The consistency of the blue color allows one to sink into its limitlessness, encouraging a contemplative experience of one's own feelings. The inspiration for Klein's ultramarine can be sought in the religious upbringing of the artist, in whose life spirituality played an important role much later, as well. For Klein, blue represents water, sky and the boundlessness of the universe – a place where each of us is trying to find ourselves.
Yves Klein's works reach very high amounts on the art market. His paintings have repeatedly exceeded the price of $10 million, establishing him on the podium of the most expensive French artists of all time. The record for Klein's paintings at auction was reached by the work "Le Rose de bleu (RE 22)," which sold for $32.6 million at Christie's in London. Although 60 years have passed since Klein's death, the art world has not forgotten his unique artistic legacy, which continues to increase in value.