Interior, Ellsworth Kelly Chapel – Austin, Texas

There were two new exhibits I wanted to see at the Blanton during Austin Museum Day. The first, the photographs from Eugene Atget, a French photographer and artist which I talked about yesterday. That show is temporary, on display until December 2nd. Today, the second exhibit.

I featured the exterior of the Ellsworth Kelly Chapel on a recent post about Color Science. And, despite the religious connotation, this “chapel” is an art installation and a permanent one, I presume. It’s a solid structure that looks to be made of stone. The inside belies its diminutive exterior. There is a grandness and presence that, indeed, feels chapel like. A hushed space that commands reverence.

Three of the walls feature colorful geometric designs and is in keeping with the abstract style of Ellsworth Kelly. Ideally, I would have loved to create a wide-angle architectural image of the space, without a single person. Colorful beams would stream from the stained-glass and paint the floor. Alas, on Museum Day, that’s just not possible. There’s lot of people, though luckily not enough to ruin the mood.

I pivoted. Deciding instead to capture the people taking pictures of the interior, with smartphones, of course.