Barnett Newman

Happy Birthday Barnett Newman!! American painter, born in 1905, Newman was an Abstract Expressionist. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland and he was born in New York City. He was an art critic and a writer. Following WWII many artists sought to redefine reality. His own art went through many phases, beginning with Expressionism, to Surrealism and finally color field Abstract Expressionism. His work has often been overlooked for artists’ such as Pollock and Mondrian. Considered his “mature style” his color fields are pierced with narrow “zips” of contrasting color. He was interested in depicting a “pure idea” which would address mankind’s tragic condition by creating the sublime. The painting below is titled Onement I.