Ariel 2, 2021

Alex Katz, a celebrated American painter known for his distinctive flat style and vibrant color palette, has been a major figure in contemporary art since the mid-20th century. His work bridges the gap between abstraction and realism, often focusing on portraiture and landscape with a striking sense of simplicity and clarity. Katz’s artistic philosophy embraces a reduction of detail in favor of mood, presence, and immediacy. Over the decades, his exploration of light, space, and the human figure has remained consistent, yet continuously fresh and evolving. His portraits—typically of family, friends, and muses—are often depicted with an air of elegance and emotional restraint, set against crisp, minimal backgrounds that allow the figure to dominate the composition.

In his 2021 silkscreen Ariel 2, Katz continues his exploration of the female form and portraiture through a monumental, 60 × 37-inch format. Executed on heavyweight Saunders 425 gsm paper, the print radiates with Katz’s signature bold colors and simplified shapes. The work captures a figure—presumably “Ariel”—with the confident gaze and stylized flatness characteristic of Katz’s visual language. This silkscreen is signed and numbered by the artist and part of a limited edition of 60, emphasizing both its exclusivity and collectibility. Ariel 1 exemplifies Katz’s enduring ability to merge classical portraiture with the aesthetics of modernism and pop, resulting in a work that is at once timeless and distinctly contemporary.