Glory of the World: Color Field Painting (1950s to 1983)

This text casts new light on mid-20th century Color Field painting from the perspective of the artists'' ambitions for the future of abstract painting. Color Field became a convenient, albeit imperfect term to describe paintings in which vast areas of colour appear as the dominant force. Color Field was not an art movement, rather it was a cohort of likeminded artists. While the American Abstract Expressionists cleared a path for this postwar generation to forge ahead with abstract painting, their achievements also challenged artists such as Frank Bowling, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, Frank Stella and Alma Thomas, to create abstraction anew. Experimenting with non-traditional painting mediums and methods, as well as these artists'' probing of the conventions of painting led to unprecedented works.

“Hofmann proved that the straightforward manipulation of pigment can create exalted art … glory of the world this painting surely is.” —Frank Stella

"Color Field" became a convenient, albeit imperfect, term to describe paintings in which vast areas of color are the dominant force. It was not an art movement but rather a cohort of like-minded artists. While the American Abstract Expressionists cleared a path for abstract painting, their achievements also challenged others to create abstraction anew. Experimenting with nontraditional mediums and methods, as well as these artists’ probing of painting’s conventions, led to unprecedented works. The book’s title, Glory of the World, takes its name from the writings of Frank Stella on the influential artist and teacher Hans Hofmann, whose exalted abstract paintings, produced solely through the straightforward manipulation of pigment, were revered by the Color Field painters.
Artists include: Frank Bowling, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Jules Olitski, Larry Poons, Frank Stella, Alma Thomas.

• | Author: Bonnie Clearwater
• | Publisher: Skira
• | Publication Date: Aug 29, 2024
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9788857252216
• | ISBN-10: 8857252213