Acrylic No. 7
Close up of Acrylic No. 7

Fanny Sanín, Acrylic No. 7, 1970; Acrylic on canvas, unframed, 69 x 51 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the artist; © Fanny Sanín; Photo by Lee Stalsworth
Acrylic No. 7 marks Fanny Sanín’s permanent transition from the gestural painting style of her pre-1969 works to geometric abstraction, the ordered, linear, and symmetrical style for which she is best known.
In 1970, after adopting acrylics as her preferred medium, Sanín painted a series of striped compositions including Acrylic No. 7. This large-scale painting boasts vertical bands of rich autumnal hues.
The composition demonstrates Sanín’s mastery of formal elements such as line, shape, and color. Acrylic No. 7 is both ordered and varied; simple and complex. Crisp lines guide viewers’ eyes up and down the canvas and provide clear demarcations between hues.
Variation in stripe widths and colors create a pleasing visual rhythm. The juxtaposition of cooler, receding tints—pale yellow and light green—and their warmer, advancing counterparts—bright orange and chocolate brown—give the illusion of balance and depth of field.