Isabella Flores
Colour field painting, also known as color-field painting, emerged in the late 1940s as artists attempted to create a new form of art that evoked emotions and ideas purely through colour. This style of abstract painting, which originated in New York City, was pioneered by artists such as Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Clyfford Still, who sought to eliminate overt recognisable imagery in favour of abstraction. The colour field movement emphasised the use of large fields of flat, solid colours spread across the canvas, creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane. This advancement in modern art challenged traditional notions of foreground and background, presenting each painting as a unified, cohesive image.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time of emergence | Late 1940s to 1950s |
| Place of origin | New York City |
| Notable pioneers | Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Frank Stella, Jules Olitski, Alma Thomas, Sam Gilliam |
| Style | Large fields of flat, solid colour spread across or stained into the canvas creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane |
| Subject matter | Colour itself, rather than recognisable, illustrative scenes and forms |
| Approach | Serene and contemplative, with emotional intensity achieved through subtle gradations of colour and form |
| Techniques | Soak-stain, pouring, dripping |
| Notable works | Barnett Newman's Vir heroicus sublimis, Clyfford Still's work featuring bright fields of hues on a monumental scale, Helen Frankenthaler's Mountains and Sea |
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What You'll Learn
Colour field painting's roots in abstract expressionism
Colour field painting emerged in the late 1940s when abstract artists attempted to create a new form of art. They sought to evoke emotions and ideas purely through colour, instead of recognisable illustrative scenes and forms. This movement was pioneered by abstract expressionist artists Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Clyfford Still, whose works featured large fields of flat, solid colours.
The term "colour field painters" was first used in 1970 by American scholar Irvine Sandler in his book Abstract Expressionism, referring to the works of Rothko, Newman, and Still from around 1950. These artists are known for their different interpretations of their work. Newman, for instance, put forth the most well-known interpretation in his essay "The Sublime is Now" (1948), arguing that only the sublime was appropriate for a modern age marked by war and the threat of bombs.
By the late 1950s, a new generation of colour field painters emerged, including Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Alma Thomas, and Sam Gilliam. They further simplified the painting process by applying large bands, waves, circles, lines, and other shapes of uniform colour to the canvas. Frankenthaler, in particular, played a crucial role in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Colour Field Painting. Her innovative soak-stain technique, which involved staining untreated canvas with paint, emphasised pure colour, simplicity, and spontaneity. This technique inspired Louis, who began soaking his canvases in the late 1950s, eliminating the brushstroke by pouring viscous lines of multicoloured paint to create rainbow effects.
Colour field painting, as a movement, places less emphasis on gesture, brushstrokes, and action, instead focusing on the overall consistency of form and process. It presents abstraction as an end in itself, with colour becoming the subject rather than a means to depict a subject. This shift from Abstract Expressionism resulted in a more serene and contemplative approach, retaining emotional intensity through subtle gradations of colour and form.
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How it advanced: the suppression of value contrasts
Colour field painting advanced modern art through its suppression of value contrasts, which marked a significant departure from traditional artistic techniques. This style of painting emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s, challenging the conventions of art by emphasising the importance of pure colour and form over illustrative scenes.
The suppression of value contrasts in colour field painting refers to the elimination of contrasts between light and dark hues, as well as the reduction of recognisable imagery. Artists like Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Helen Frankenthaler created works that featured large fields of flat, single colours, often on a grand scale. They sought to evoke emotions and ideas through colour itself, rather than through representational imagery. This approach challenged the traditional notion of foreground and background, creating a unified field where the background and foreground become one.
Helen Frankenthaler, a pivotal figure in the evolution of colour field painting, developed a unique technique of staining untreated canvas with paint. She soaked the unprimed canvas with pigment, creating amorphous fields of colour that spread organically across the surface. This technique, known as the "soak-stain" method, emphasised the fluidity and spontaneity of colour, allowing it to bleed and blend harmoniously. Frankenthaler's approach inspired other artists, such as Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland, who further explored the potential of this style.
The suppression of value contrasts in colour field painting also extended to the simplification of drawing and composition. Artists like Kenneth Noland and Frank Stella often used highly reduced formats, incorporating basic references to nature and repetitive, regulated systems. Their compositions focused on exploring pure colour and creating visual balance, rather than depicting specific objects or scenes. This minimalist approach to composition emphasised the importance of overall consistency and the interplay of colours within the canvas.
By suppressing value contrasts, colour field painters advanced modern art by shifting the focus from representational imagery to the emotional and aesthetic power of colour itself. They challenged traditional artistic techniques and explored new possibilities for expression, influencing subsequent generations of artists and shaping the course of modern art.
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The role of artists like Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still
Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still are considered pioneers of colour field painting, a style of modern art that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. This style is characterised by large areas of flat, single colours, moving away from the illustrative and towards a more purely abstract form.
Newman, Rothko, and Still each brought their unique interpretations to colour field painting. Newman, for instance, drew on the 18th-century aesthetics of Edmund Burke in his essay 'The Sublime is Now' (1948). He argued that in a modern age fraught with the terrors of war and the nuclear threat, only the sublime was appropriate, marking a departure from the traditional pursuit of beauty in European art.
Rothko, on the other hand, found inspiration in mythology and the works of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. His paintings are known for their emotional impact on viewers, with the sheer size and grandeur of his works creating a unique experience. Rothko's technique involved using rectangular forms and floating colour fields, often in dark and subdued colours, potentially reflecting his mental state.
Clyfford Still's works contributed significantly to the development of colour field painting, though less is known about his specific influences and interpretations.
The works of these three artists were first collectively referred to as "colour field painting" by critic Clement Greenberg, who celebrated the style in his 1955 essay, "American-Type Painting." He recognised the tendency of these artists to apply colour to large areas or "fields," marking a significant advancement in modern painting.
The colour field painting movement also influenced the work of later artists, including Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Kenneth Noland, who further simplified the painting process by applying large bands of uniform colour to untreated canvas.
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The influence of Clement Greenberg
Colour field painting, which emerged in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s, was closely associated with Clement Greenberg, an American essayist and art critic. Greenberg was a strong advocate of abstract expressionism and believed that modernism provided a critical commentary on experience. He was also instrumental in identifying and celebrating the emergence of colour field painting, which he saw as a shift from abstract expressionism.
Greenberg's writings played a significant role in shaping the work of many artists, including Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, and Kenneth Noland. In 1952, Greenberg invited Louis and Noland to Frankenthaler's studio, where they witnessed her technique of staining untreated canvas with paint. This moment marked a turning point for Abstract Expressionism, as these artists began to simplify the painting process, applying large bands of uniform colour to the canvas, a technique that became characteristic of colour field painting.
In his writings, Greenberg introduced and refined concepts such as "kitsch," the "easel picture," and "pictorial flatness." He also coined the term "all-over" paint surface to describe the works of Jackson Pollock, whom he championed as the greatest painter of his generation. Greenberg's essay "'American-Type' Painting" is considered one of his central statements about the development of modern art, where he argued for the radicalism of colour field painting, relating it to Impressionism rather than Cubism.
Greenberg's influence extended beyond his writings. In 1964, he curated an influential exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, featuring 31 artists associated with colour field painting. Additionally, after the death of Morris Louis in 1962, Greenberg altered many of the artist's works, editing lines, stripes, and even the size of some canvases, demonstrating the level of influence he had on the artists he promoted.
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How it inspired future generations of artists
Colour field painting, which emerged in the 1940s and 1950s, has been a source of inspiration for many artists in the decades since. The style is characterised by large fields of flat, solid colour spread across or stained into the canvas, creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane.
One of the pioneers of colour field painting, Helen Frankenthaler, played a crucial role in the evolution of modern art, particularly in the transition from Abstract Expressionism to Colour Field Painting. Her innovative use of colour and space inspired notable artists such as Morris Louis and Kenneth Noland, who further developed the movement. Frankenthaler's work showcased her ability to balance spontaneity with control, as the colours spread organically yet maintained a harmonious composition. This fluid application of colour and use of large, unmodulated colour fields became central to the movement.
Frankenthaler's work also influenced Clement Greenberg, who championed the style enthusiastically and explored it in his 1955 essay, 'American-Type Painting'. He argued that the style advanced a tendency in modern painting to apply colour in large areas or 'fields'. He considered this particularly important since it returned to what he saw as one of the most important innovations of the Impressionists—the suppression of value contrasts (contrasts of light and dark hues).
The work of colour field painters like Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and Frank Stella inspired future generations of artists by demonstrating the power of abstraction and the ability to evoke emotion without relying on recognisable imagery or illustrative scenes. Newman, for example, believed that "a painter is a choreographer of space", and his work featured large fields of bright red that were broken up by vertical "zip" lines. Similarly, Rothko believed that colour could tap into our innermost emotions, and his choice of pigment reflected his mood.
In conclusion, colour field painting has inspired future generations of artists by demonstrating the potential of abstraction, the emotional power of colour, and the ability to create a sense of depth and emotion through the use of large swathes of pure colour. This style of painting has provided a new way of thinking about art, focusing on the optical responses evoked by colour and form rather than the subject matter or illusionism.
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Frequently asked questions
Colour field painting is a style of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. It is characterised by large fields of flat, solid colour spread across or stained into the canvas, creating areas of unbroken surface and a flat picture plane.
Colour field painting advanced modern art by emphasising pure colour, simplicity, and spontaneity, which distinguished it from the emotive intensity of abstract expressionism. This shift in focus from the emotional energy and gestural surface marks of abstract expressionism to a more cool and austere approach allowed artists to evoke emotion and ideas purely through colour itself, rather than rendering recognisable, illustrative scenes and forms.
The key pioneers of colour field painting include Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still, Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Sam Gilliam.
Colour field painting differed from abstract expressionism in that it eliminated the emotional, mythic, or religious content of the earlier movement, as well as the highly personal and painterly or gestural application associated with it. Instead, colour field painting presented abstraction as an end in itself, with colour freed from objective context and becoming the subject itself.
