A master of color theory and practice, Avedisian’s paintings are perfect examples of how strong a visual and emotional impact can be made with simple line and color combinations constructed with a skilled eye. In Untitled, the artist gives a major impact with a subtle color. This work is part of a larger phase of the artist’s career in the 1960s which is sometimes referred to as his “beach ball” canvases. Tones from the same family of pinks create a serene atmosphere. The upper space of the canvas is a peachy pink made of a traditional flat field of one color. The orange “ball” is created in tones of peachy yellows. This division of the canvas imparts a spatial and atmospheric trompe l’oeil as the peachy circular shape jumps out to form the foreground and the pink plane recedes forming a background. This creation of a spatial complexity, with an elusive quality of atmosphere, is a result of Avedisian’s strong understanding of color balance and relationship.

Avedisian works in a unique intersection of color field painting and geometric Pop. In New York City, in the early days of emerging Abstract Expressionism, Avedisian socialized with the art critic Clement Greenberg, known to have propelled Abstract Expressionism from a small group of intellectual artists to a worldwide “movement.” He partied with Andy Warhol at the Factory in the mid-1960s. His color field works received grand reviews from New York’s art critics. Artforum granted a large and successful review (including the cover image) of his exhibit New Paintings describing his canvases as having an “extraordinary and romantic sense of color.” Later, in the 1970s the artist, always experimenting with his craft, created abstract sculptures out of Styrofoam and painted them with bright and emotive acrylic paints. As the art scene in New York City shifted, Avedisian moved north to the quaint Hudson Valley area of New York in search of a quieter lifestyle. He continued to work in various mediums and unsurprisingly his work changed dramatically. The artist turned to representational art, and he painted and drew reflections on a small town life, full of domestic and intimate scenes, near his home that invite a quiet narrative into his oeuvre, displaying another side of the artist previously unseen.

Born of Armenian heritage in Lowell, Massachusetts, Avedisian studied art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Upon arriving in New York City, the artist became deeply rooted in the new abstract painting of the era. By the early 1960s, Avedisian was primarily painting large striped circles on substantial canvases, creating an immersion of color effect. The artist has been included in several seminal group exhibitions including the exhibit from the Whitney Museum of American Art New York, Annual Exhibition of American Painting of 1963, and the Museum of Modern Art’s The Responsive Eye of 1965. Avedisian was also part of numerous group exhibitions including the Smithsonian and the Guggenheim among others