Red-Vermillion
1961
Jack Youngerman (American, 1926-2020)
Not on View

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Jack Youngerman moved to Paris, where he lived from 1947 to 1956. He studied art at the École des Beaux-Arts, with assistance from the GI Bill, and he became enthralled with the work of Henri Matisse, Hans Arp and Vassily Kandinsky. This exposure turned his interests to, as he put it, “an exploration of the possibilities of abstract shape as opposed to the shape of things and as opposed to geometric work where you work with pre-existing shapes.” To accentuate the interaction of negative and positive patterns, he limited his palette to three colors, with an eye toward achieving maximum contrast between them.

In Red-Vermillion three robust color formations spread across the canvas with an energy that is sustained to each of the four edges. Youngerman applied the oil paint in thick, consistent strokes that left the imprint of the brush and thereby call attention to the surface. The resulting jagged forms present a dynamic interplay between figure and ground. Red-Vermillion jubilantly recalls the artist’s French inspirations, especially the voluptuous color surfaces and designs of Matisse.

Details

  • Artist Name: Jack Youngerman (American, 1926-2020)
  • Title: Red-Vermillion
  • Date: 1961
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 97-3/4 x 76 in. (248.3 x 193.0 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Mr. Robert Halff
  • Accession Number: P.1973.13

Object Information

[Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, sold to];
Robert Halff, Beverly Hills, gift 1973 to;
Pasadena Art Museum, 1973-1975;
Norton Simon Museum.

Seattle World's Fair

  • Seattle Art Museum, 1962-04 to 1962-10

Surface Truths: Abstract Painting in the Sixties

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2011-03-25 to 2011-08-15

Radical Past: Contemporary Art and Music in Pasadena, 1960-1974

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1999-02-07 to 1999-06-06
  • Armory Center for the Arts, 1999-02-07 to 1999-04-11
  • Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, Calif.), 1999-02-07 to 1999-04-25
  • Armory Center for the Arts/Art Center College of Design, Radical Past: Contemporary Art & Music in Pasadena, 1960-1974, 1999, p. 88
  • Humblet, Claudine, La Nouvelle Abstraction Américaine 1950-1970, 2003, Vol. II p. 809

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