Square Light II
1988
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color soapground aquatint, aquatint, spitbite aquatint, and crayon resist on Somerset Textured paper
Dimensions
image: 53 x 52.7 cm (20 7/8 x 20 3/4 in.) sheet: 86.7 x 77.5 cm (34 1/8 x 30 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Kathan Brown
Accession Number
1998.40.411
Art Historical Context
**Square Light II** (1988) by Sean Scully exemplifies the artist's signature abstract style, characterized by bold blocks color and geometric forms that evoke emotional depth and spatial. Born in Ireland and trained in London and New York, Scully emerged in the late 20th century as a bridge between minimalism and expressive abstraction, often drawing from architectural motifs and personal introspection. This print captures his fascination with light and form through a square composition, rendered in vibrant hues on Somerset Textured paper—a heavyweight, velvety sheet ideal for intricate intagl...
About the Artist
Sean Scully
Sean Scully (born 30 June 1945, Dublin) is one of the foremost abstract painters of his generation, celebrated for large-scale canvases of interlocking vertical and horizontal bands that transform geometric structure into something emotionally and spiritually resonant. Raised in London, he attended evening classes at the Central School of Art between 1962 and 1965 before enrolling full-time at Cro...