Color Field painting: European roots, New World flavor

Kenneth Noland frequently played with circular motifs, as in this untitled work from 1963 that brought $120,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2018 at Wright. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers
Kenneth Noland frequently played with circular motifs, as in this untitled work from 1963 that brought $120,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2018 at Wright. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers
Kenneth Noland frequently played with circular motifs, as in this untitled work from 1963 that brought $120,000 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2018 at Wright. Image courtesy of Wright and LiveAuctioneers

NEW YORK — Among the most distinctive styles of abstract painting to emerge from New York in the 1940s-1960s was the one dubbed “Color Field.” Its look is definitely rooted in the European modernists but it’s overwhelmingly New World flavored. Wide swaths of color fields — some have firmly defined and geometric borders while others are more amorphous — define the canvas. Brushstrokes are far less important than the overall process, and the mastery of color seeks to engage the viewer in a visceral manner. A handful of artists led the charge and their work continues to attract collectors while influencing the art world and up-and-coming artists. Among those who have been labeled Color Field painters are Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Sam Gilliam, Clyfford Still, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland.

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