Abstract

This contribution focuses on the fluorescent turn in the work of Frank Stella, a subject only scarcely and superficially addressed in the literature. It places the use of this synthetic palette within Stella’s artistic discourse by tracing the evolution that directly leads up to it. A specific emphasis is put on material aspects and their unique visual effects. In the first part, his choice for self-referential household paints is analyzed, in which his fluorescent turn is seen as the logical successor to the previous metallic paints. After mapping this transition, a study of the visual effects of his DayGlo artworks is made, using knowledge from phenomenological studies and vision science. In addition, some preliminary results of a short-exposure experiment are discussed, in which the instantaneous quality of replicas of some of the Moroccan paintings are tested. The insights of this study are held against the light of the art criticism of the sixties, to address the influence of Stella’s DayGloification on the experience of time and illusion in his artworks.