Frank Stella's Black paintings (1959), comprised solely of parallel bands of black paint, eliminated illusionistic space and pictorial or narrative allusions—illustrating his belief that a painting is “a flat surface with paint on it—nothing more.” The square format of this work avoids any implied reference to landscape (horizontal) or figurative (vertical) associations, while the inclusion of both a color spectrum and tonal values, provides the palette of a traditional painting, without actually painting one.