Space Study #2 (2002) began as a simple spiral but evolved over time into a more vital and animated surface. Its foundational elements are the spiral, the texture of the masonite board, and the pairing of cadmium orange and ultramarine blue. Complementary colors, the orange and blue emerge as a chromatic opposition that generates vibrancy and depth.
Historically, this work reflects my shift in the early 2000s toward intuitively integrating perceptual theory and color theory into my practice, in an effort to emphasize how color relationships shape spatial cognition. Here, interplay of these hues creates a pulsating tension, where warm and cool energies alternate, producing a perceptual rhythm that resists stasis.
Together, Space Study #1 and Space Study #2 form a complementary pair. Both probe how color oppositions activate perception. They mark a specific time frame when I began to develop a more focused interest in perceiving how color and perception interact on their own terms. Therefore, rather than a literal representation of something, these works invite viewers to construct meaning through visual sensation, foregrounding the active role of cognition in interpreting depth and dimensionality.
• • • • • •
Amy Ione
Title: Space Study #2
Date: 2002
Medium: Oil on masonite
Dimensions: 27.5 x 23.5 x 1 in
Catalog Number: 25852
See Space Study #1 and “The Concept of Space in Twentieth Century Art” by Amy Ione and Christopher Tyler here.
• • • • • •
Exhibition History
2011
Moods and Variations, Au Coquelet, Berkeley CA. June 1—June 30.
2008-2009
Perceptual Ruminations. Gaia Art Center, Berkeley Art Center, October 2008—March 2009
2007
Looking Back, Au Coquelet, Berkeley, February 1—28.
2004
Perceptual Notations, YWCA at the University of California, Berkeley. May/June.