Mirror on the wall. Self-reflection in blue
The KMSKA presents its permanent collection in dialogue with contemporary works on loan by established artists. Seeing contemporary art alongside old and modern masters encourages visitors to look at art in a new way.
This is especially true of Untitled (2002) by Anish Kapoor (b. 1954), a work designed to interact with its audience. The British-Indian artist is known for his meticulously crafted forms, rich colours and use of high-tech materials. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he explored the spatial effects of colourful convex mirrors.
Destabilising
It’s hard to resist the urge to pause before Kapoor’s monumental deep blue disc. Its smooth, concave surface engages you through its fascinating optical effect. It reflects your body and stretches it into absurd proportions as you approach. Step back, and it hurls your image into the distance. Left becomes right, everything flips upside down. The distorted skylights of the museum suddenly appear at your feet. In short: looking at this work is a destabilising experience. Our tangible surroundings and familiar way of seeing are transformed. Untitled questions the solidity of what we take for granted.
Royal Blue
Anish Kapoor grew up in Mumbai in a cosmopolitan environment. His mother was of Iraqi Jewish descent, his father a non-religious man with Hindu roots. In 1973, at age 19, Kapoor moved to London to study art. He still lives and works there today.
From India, he brought with him the vibrant, warm colours of temples and spice and textile markets. The pure pigments he uses refer both to the colour symbolism of Hinduism and the traditions of Western painting.
Royal blue appears repeatedly in Kapoor’s work. Throughout art history, the colour has had a variety of expressions: it appears in ancient Egyptian art, in the precious ultramarine of the Virgin Mary’s mantle in Flemish painting, and in Yves Klein’s iconic Blue. In Hindu culture, blue is a spiritual colour. The gods Krishna, Shiva and Rama are often depicted in this heavenly hue, symbolising their connection to the infinite.
Blue represents balance, stability, and confidence.
The reflective, velvety blue in Untitled is both calming and captivating. The artwork invites introspection and even absorption—you get lost in it. Untitled shows Kapoor’s mastery of capturing the infinite in a finite object. Light, form and colour come together to create a sensory and mental experience.
Parisian Blue
Untitled hangs in the Colour gallery, next to Marc Mendelson’s Midzomer (1954), which displays a variety of blue shades—from cobalt and sky blue to indigo. A little further on, you’ll see an early 16th-century stained glass window by Jean Chastelain depicting a Pietà from the Église du Temple, a Parisian church dismantled in 1795. As early as the 12th century, Parisian artisans had perfected the technique of colouring glass with cobalt, producing the famous deep blue stained-glass windows still glowing in the city’s churches today.
In this museum gallery, a single colour bridges centuries.
This article previously appeared in ZAAL Z, the museum's magazine. For just €35, you’ll receive four issues that immerse you in the museum’s fascinating world and exceptional collection.
