Abstract Painting no. 4

Ad Reinhardt, Abstract Painting no. 4, 1961, oil on linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.71
Ad Reinhardt, Abstract Painting no. 4, 1961, oil on linen, 60 1860 14 in. (152.6152.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.71

Artwork Details

Title
Abstract Painting no. 4
Artist
Date
1961
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
60 1860 14 in. (152.6152.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on linen
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1969.47.71

Artwork Description

Ad Reinhardt’s comments about art are markers of an aesthetic and intellectual journey from early cubist-inspired compositions to the black rectangles he made for the last seven years of his life. He came to believe that painting is a nonnarrative medium and over the course of two decades purged imagery and even traces of his own hand from his work. The matte black surface of Abstract Painting no. 4 is not read quickly, but close examination reveals subtle blue and plum squares arranged in a cruciform shape. Asked to explain his use of black, Reinhardt replied, “It’s because of its non-color. . . . Color has to do with life.”

Modern Masters: Midcentury Abstraction from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2008

Works by this artist (20 items)

Ad Reinhardt, Red and Blue Composition, 1941, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.76
Red and Blue Composition
Date1941
oil on fiberboard
On view
Ad Reinhardt, Untitled, 1937, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Patricia and Phillip Frost, 1986.92.74
Untitled
Date1937
oil on wood
On view