White Fire I 1954

Barnett Newman made "White Fire I" at an unknown date using, presumably, oil on canvas. This painting invites questions about the public role of art in postwar America. Newman belonged to a generation of artists who wanted to break away from traditional European painting. They sought a new, uniquely American art that spoke to the experience of modern life. Newman’s approach was radical in its simplicity. "White Fire I" features a vast field of color interrupted by vertical lines, or "zips," as he called them. The scale is important. He intended the painting to be seen up close, so that the viewer would be enveloped by the color. His work challenges us to move beyond the art institutions of the past. To understand it better, we can explore manifestos by Newman and his contemporaries. What were they trying to achieve? What did they reject? It is vital to consider art in its social and institutional context.