COLOR FIELD PAINTING

1946 - 1968

Where Abstract Expressionists used art to express their emotions, a group of affiliated artists used art to elicit your emotions. They were fascinated by the power of color to affect people in different ways and developed art designed to envelope anyone who viewed it.

The term “Color Field Painting” was first used to describe the work of abstract expressionist painters who were different than the rest.  Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Helen Frankenthaler and Clyfford Still painted abstractly as did their compatriots. But, their abstractions were based more on color rather than the frenzied action found in other abstract expressionist works. They even talked differently about their work. Color Field Painters talked about their search for ways to communicate powerful emotions with the simplest means. What could be simpler than color by itself?  

By choosing to make color their subject, Color Field Painters created art that invited the viewer to explore their own emotions.  Art as psychologist.