Ad Reinhardt
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Adolph Dietrich Friedrich Reinhardt ("Ad" Reinhardt) (December 24, 1913–August 30, 1967) was an Abstract expressionist painter, a writer, and a pioneer of conceptual and minimal art. He was also a critic of abstract expressionism. Reinhardt's earliest exhibited paintings avoided representation, but show a steady progression away from objects and external reference. His work progressed from compositions of geometrical shapes in the 40s to works in different shades of the same color (all red, all blue, all white) in the 50s. Reinhardt is best known for his so-called "black" paintings of the 1960s, which appear at first glance to be simply canvanses painted black but are actually composed of black and nearly black shades. Among many other suggestions, these paintings ask if there can be such a thing as an absolute, even in black, which some viewers may not consider a color at all.
Reinhardt was born in Buffalo, New York, and studied art history at Columbia University, where he was a close friend of Robert Lax and Thomas Merton. It is interesting and instuctive to see how the three developed similar concepts of simplicity in different directions. Reinhardt went on to study painting with Carl Holty and Francis Criss at the American Artists School, then at the National Academy of Design under Karl Anderson. From 1936, he worked for the WPA Federal Art Project, and he soon became a member of the American Abstract Artists group.
Having completed his studies at the New York University Institute of Fine Arts, Reinhardt became a teacher at Brooklyn College and later at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the University of Wyoming, Yale University and Hunter College, New York.
His writing includes interesting comments on his own work and that of his contemporaries. His concise wit, sharp focus, and abstraction make them interesting reading even for those who have not seen his paintings. Like his paintings, his writing remains controversial decades after its composition.
Contents |
[edit] Writing
Art as Art, edited by Barbara Rose, U. of California Press, 1991.
[edit] Graphics
It is less commonly known that Reinhardt was a prodigious illustrator, cartoonist, designer of magazines, posters and typefaces. These graphics formed a kind of private commentary on his more public work as a painter. His cartoons in particular, elucidate many of his artistic doctrines and convictions in a witty and accessible way. The Smithsonian Archives of American Art now have a substantial collection of his graphics.
[edit] References
- Michael Corris, "Ad Reinhardt" (Reaktion Books, 2008), ISBN 978 1 86189 356 7
- Marika Herskovic, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (New York School Press, 2003.) ISBN 0-9677994-1-4
- Marika Herskovic, New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists, (New York School Press, 2000.) ISBN 0-9677994-0-6
- Busch, Julia M. (1974) A Decade of Sculpture: the New Media in the 1960's, The Art Alliance Press (Associated University Presses), ISBN 0-87982-007-1
- Müller-Yao, Marguerite Hui: Der Einfluß der Kunst der chinesischen Kalligraphie auf die westliche informelle Malerei, Diss. Bonn, Köln 1985. ISBN 3-88375-051-4
- Müller-Yao, Marguerite: Informelle Malerei und chinesische Kalligrafie’’, in: ’’Informel, Begegnung und Wandel’’, (hrsg von Heinz Althöfer, Schriftenreihe des Museums am Ostwall; Bd. 2), Dortmund 2002, ISBN 3-611-01062-6
[edit] External links
- Ad Reinhardt bio at Guggenheim Museum site
- Art Collection at MOMA site
- Ad Reinhardt, Graphic Designer
- Ad Reinhardt cartoon collection
- American Abstract Artists
- Ad Reinhardt Papers at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Reinhardt, Ad |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Reinhardt, Adolph Frederick;Reinhardt, Adolph Dietmar Friedrich |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 24, 1913 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buffalo, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 30, 1967 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | New York City |
