THE INTELLECTUAL ORIGINS OF BARNETT NEWMAN'S ART

As a result of the new and experimental art movements that shifted from Paris to New York in the post-World War II period, an abstract painting movement called the American Abstract Expressionism emerged in America after 1940. The movement, which was quite influential in the New York-based art world in the 1950s, is divided into two groups painting and color field painting (post-painterly abstraction). This study reflects upon the much-discussed art of Barnett Newman, one of the most famous names of color field painters, and his writings on the sublime in which he criticizes European art. For this purpose, through a bibliographic research method, first, the paper shall examine the social and psychological background of Newman's art and his written criticisms of the current aesthetic and artistic understanding of his period. Then, the paper shall focus on the position of Newman's art in the American Abstract Expressionism movement, the comments and criticisms made on his works, and even the attacks on his paintings to reveal the diverse aspects of Newman's art.

Keywords

Newman, Sublime, American Abstract Expressionism, Color field painting.