Innovating in the fields of painting and printmaking since the 1960s, Frank Stella is best known for his use of bold geometric patterns and shapes. Composed of enamel, crayon, and glitter on aluminum, Washington Island Gadwall exemplifies Stella’s ingenious use of both form and color; the work is the largest and one of the last metal reliefs from Stella’s Exotic Birds series. The title of the series stems from James Greenway’s 1967 book Extinct and Vanishing Birds of the World.

In Washington Island Gadwall, the background plane is divided diagonally down the center and the two halves are tipped up, giving a sense of folding or a collapsing movement. Two large triangles break into cutout spaces in the background at different angles, while supporting an array of intersecting and superimposed strips, triangles, and forms based on drafting curves. Each element in this cacophonous assemblage is boldly painted in a loose handwriting of tones from pink to dark greens and black, further increasing the visual energy and conjuring images of shimmering brightly colored plumage.