This is a preparatory study for River of Ponds III, a lithograph in Stella’s Newfoundland series, which includes both prints and paintings. These works are variations on the interlacing semicircular forms in Stella’s “Protractor” series, created between 1967 and 1971; a painting from this latter series, Gur II, 1967, is installed on the fourth floor of 101 Spring Street.

Stella gave this work as a gift to Judd’s daughter, Rainer, when she was born.

Donald Judd first exhibited with Frank Stella in Contemporary American Group Show [New Work: Part III] (May–June 15, 1963) at Green Gallery in New York. In his 1962 review of Stella’s solo exhibition at Leo Castelli Gallery, Judd wrote, “Criticism is pretty much after the fact. Frank Stella’s paintings are one of the recent facts. They show the extent of what can be done now. The further coherence supersedes older forms.”¹

¹ Donald Judd, “In the Galleries” (September 1962), in Donald Judd: Complete Writings 1959–1975 (1975; repr., New York: Judd Foundation, 2015), 57.