Barnett Newman and Frank Stella; Art and the Sublime

When faced with the geometric, color-rich and often strikingly monumental works of Barnett Newman and Frank Stella, the untrained viewer might attribute the general stylistic similarities to the artists' shared theories and motivations. To do so, however, is both incorrect and devaluing to the paintings and their creators. Newman's and Stella's paintings are similar in their bold use of color and geometric design, but there the similarities end. In order to fully appreciate the artists' works, one must learn the painters' individual philosophies and examine the full depth, visually and, at times, metaphysically, of the paintings.

When faced with the geometric, color-rich and often strikingly monumental works of Barnett Newman and Frank Stella, the untrained viewer might attribute the general stylistic similarities to the artists' shared theories and motivations. To do so, however, is both incorrect and devaluing to the paintings and their creators. In order to fully appreciate the artists' works, one must learn the painters' individual philosophies and examine the full depth, visually and, at times, metaphysically, of the paintings.

Barnett Newman's color field paintings are revolutionary works that are inspired by his fascination with the sublime. The color fields in these works are, at first glance, monochromatic areas divided by "zips," or vertical stripes. Upon closer examination, however, the viewer discovers that the painted ground which had seemed flat and even is, in actuality, multi-tonal and vibrant. The consciously uneven application of pigment creates a sensuously undulating ocean of color. The "zips" are thoughtfully arranged across the canvas. While in some pieces the "zips" are strikingly straight-edged, in others they are less defined. Rather than creating a cacophonous and disjointed canvas, the "zips" serve to unify the often massive paintings. Newman's works evoke a tranquil harmony that has the power to transfix the viewer for hours on end.

The sheer size of Newman's canvases is crucial to and is rooted in the heart of the painter's artistic philosophy. For Newman: "standing in front of my paintings, you have a sense of your own scale... To me, the sense of place not only has a mystery but has that sense of metaphysical fact... I hope that my painting has the impact of giving someone, as it did me, the feeling of his own totality, of his own separateness, of his own individuality, and at the same time of his connection to others."(1) He accomplishes this by painting pieces that mimic "human size for human scale."(2) Newman's works are intended to invoke that which is transcendental and metaphysical and he believes that the image he creates on the canvas are indicative of this fact.

Although it is easy to dismiss Frank Stella's artwork as an evolved style based upon Barnett Newman's paintings, Stella's style had already been developed long before he had the opportunity to examine Newman's work for the first time. He maintains that his work was influenced by the paintings of Noland, Louis and Gottleib, but even so, "it was an influence in terms of quality."(3) In Stella's opinion, the paintings of these earlier artists only served to set the standard of excellence towards which he aspired.

Newman's and Stella's paintings are similar in their bold use of color and geometric design, but there the similarities end. In a number of interviews, Stella repeatedly emphasizes that his paintings are entirely devoid of hidden meaning. His "painting is based on the fact that only what can be seen there is there... What you see is what you see."(4) As such, he passionately rejects Newman's theory of the sublime and the spontaneous structure of Newman's painting style. Rather, Stella is concerned with the visual presence of his paintings, "something that you feel in front of the painting... As for the transcendental or metaphysical things, I just simply don't understand them, and I'm honestly not interested in them."(5)

Stella's paintings are stark, monochromatic, geometric, stripe patterns. The shapes and tension of the design is further enhanced by the physical shape of the canvases. Stella creates paintings that border on, but do not cross into, the realm of artistic pieces. The canvases are shaped to the geometric specifications of the stripe design that Stella sketches. Since the canvases are built to the specific needs and measurements of the design, there is no separation between the canvas' shape and the painting. Thus, the physical geometry serves to enhance the visual effects of the painted image and Stella is able to create a controlled chaos within his stripes.

While Newman views a painting's title as an opportunity to convey the content and emotional inspiration found within, Stella chooses a much more literal approach to the name. In the selection of an appropriate title, Newman tries to: "evoke the emotional complex that [he] was under: for example, with... Vir Heroicus Sublimus, that man can be or is sublime in his relation to his sense of being aware. [He gives] paintings titles because [he thinks] they have some meaning."(6)

Meanwhile, Stella paints a painting entitled Valparaiso with a v-shaped canvas and stripes to fit the letter's contours as well. Even their initial approach to the title differs. Whereas Newman determines the title after he's finished the work and examined the metaphysical meaning, Stella derives a design and eventual painting to match its preconceived title. Stella doesn't "feel that there's any reason for people to get the point [of his titles]."(7) For Newman, however, the "question of titles is purely a social phenomenon."(8) It serves to identify "the subject matter so that the audience could be helped."(9)

From the initial inspiration to the final hanging of a painting by Barnett Newman or Frank Stella, the outlook and philosophy is radically different. For Newman, "the idea of a 'finished' picture is fiction... The question of stopping is really a decision of moral considerations... The decision is always made when the piece has something in it that you wanted."(10) In an interview, Stella notes that he will "more readily say that our [Judd and Stella's] paintings were finished... instead of saying, well, maybe its not really finished."(11) It seems that in every element of thought and style, Stella is reacting to the accepted theory of the sublime that Newman articulates. He does, however, recognize the possibility that: "if we succeed in, say, solving most of these problems [of surface issues] or dealing successfully with them, then the generations that follow us will maybe go back to the transcendental or some other kind of ideas. They will see that their responsibility or what's left to them is to add something more." (12)

Footnotes:
1 Newman, Barnett, "Interview with David Sylvester," 1965. Pg. 257-258.
2 Newman, Barnett,"The Fourteen Stations of the Cross 1958-1966," 1966. Pg. 190.
3 Sylvester, David, "An Interview with Frank Stella," 1965. Pg. 196.
4 Glaser, Bruce and Lippard, Lucy, "Questions to Stella and Judd," 1966. Pg. 158.
5 Sylvester, David, "An Interview with Frank Stella," 1965. Pg. 197.
6 Newman, Barnett, "Interview with David Sylvester," 1965. Pg. 258.
7 Sylvester, David, "An Interview with Frank Stella," 1965. Pg. 185.
8 Newman, Barnett, "Remarks at Artists' Session at Studio 35," 1952. Pg. 240.
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid.
11 Glaser, Bruce and Lippard, Lucy, "Questions to Stella and Judd," 1966. Pg. 161.
12 Sylvester, David, "An Interview with Frank Stella," 1965. Pg. 197.

MG