Hard-edge

Refers to a twentieth century movement in painting in which the edges of shapes are crisp and precise rather than blurred.A precursor to this kind of painting is: Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954), Icarus, 1947, color pochoir, 16 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches (image) 16 1/2 x 25.2 inches (sheet), Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. See cutout and precursor.Examples of paintings made in this manner: Barnett Newman (American, 1905-1970), Day One, 1951-52, oil on canvas, 132 x 50 1/4 inches (335.3 x 127.6 cm), Whitney Museum of American Art, NY. Ellsworth Kelly (American, 1923-), Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, 1966, oil on canvas, five panels, 60 x 240 inches overall, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NY.