Yves Klein and the Ultramarine Blue
One summer day in 1947, three boys were sitting on a beach in Nice in southern France. To kill time, they decided to make a game and separated different aspects of the world between them. One chose the ground, and another chose words. The third young boy chose the space that surrounds the Earth. Then, he looked up at the sky and felt inspired by its color.
That boy was Yves Klein.
Klein eventually found a gemstone that had the same color as the sky which was called—lapis lazuli. For generations, artists had ground the gemstone into a deep blue powder called ultramarine. They used that powder as a base in paints. However, it reduced the brilliance of the color; it went from a color that matched the sky to an earthbound and muddy hue. Nine years after looking at the blue Nice sky as his inspiration, Yves found a way to paint with the sky. He devised a polymer binder to preserve the luminescence and powder texture of ultramarine. The ancient gemstone that held the color of the sky could then be applied to a canvas. Klein patented the color.
In 1957, Klein held an exhibition in Milan which included 11 unframed blue monochromatic paintings. This marked the beginning of his "Blue Revolution". From this moment the French began to incorporate Klein’s Blue into all kinds of objects such as sponges, balloons, and the busts of Venus. He even dipped his hands into International Klein Blue
paint and used his hands as "living brushes".
paint and used his hands as "living brushes".
Looking at Klein’s paintings is like meditating under a deep blue sky which is something that young Klein, perhaps, sensed when he was on the beach in Nice in 1947. Just six years after bringing the sky’s color to canvas, Klein died—but before he did, he was able to recreate the sky onto a canvas and achieved what he had dreamed when he was young.
Technology Exploration II - Secondhand Art History.
Portrait of Yves Klein during the shooting of Peter Morley "The Heartbeat of France", 1961. © Photo: Charles Wilp /BPK, Berlin.
Technology Exploration II - Secondhand Art History | The Process
Technology Exploration II - Secondhand Art History | The Film
This was one of the projects that I enjoyed the most from the whole semester after the profile project. I feel very satisfied with the work done in this class. With this short film I conclude a very gratifying semester. Furthermore, I feel very honored to have collaborated together with Soo Song in her last class! I wish you the greatest success during your Student Practicum next spring. Soo Song, it was very cool to have collaborated in this assignment with you. -- ¡Muchas Gracias!
- Zoila
I had a great time making this animation. I enjoyed all the making process. I would especially like to thank my partner, Zoila. She worked so hard and created awesome work. I enjoyed working on this project because she was my partner. Thank you for everything!
- Soo
