Barnett Newman, Vir Heroicus Sublimis, 1950-1951, Oil on Canvas, 7' 11 3/8" X 17' 9 1/4"

                 Vir Heroicus Sublimis, 1950-1951, Oil on Canvas, 7' 11 3/8" X 17' 9 1/4"
                                                              -Barnett Newman

Barnett Newman (January 29, 1905 – July 4, 1970) was an American artist. He is seen as one of the major figures in abstract expressionism and one of the foremost of the color field painters. In  the 1940s he worked as a surrealist, before developing his mature style. This is characterized by areas of color separated by thin vertical lines, or "zips" as Newman called them. In the first works featuring zips, the color fields are varied, but later the colors are of pure and flat. The zips define the spatial structure of the painting, while simultaneously dividing and uniting the composition. His use of hard-edged areas of flat color, can be seen as a precursor to post painterly. 

“Any art worthy of its name should address 'life', 'man', 'nature', 'death' and 'tragedy'. “
-Barnett Newman

“I hope that my painting has the impact of giving someone, as it did me, the feeling of his own totality, of his own separateness, of his own individuality. “
-Barnett Newman

“I prefer to leave the paintings to speak for themselves. “
 -Barnett Newman

This is a personal favorite of mine, and one of the many reasons why I chose to do this particular exhibit.