Harvard Art Museums > 2003.276: Small Black Painting Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Small Black Painting (Robert S. Neuman) , 2003.276,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/50597. This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2003.276 People Robert S. Neuman, American (Kellogg, Idaho 1926-2015 Boston, Massachusetts) Title Small Black Painting Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date 1952 Places Creation Place: North America, United States Culture American Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/50597 Physical Descriptions Medium Oil on masonite Dimensions 99.1 x 121.9 cm (39 x 48 in.) Inscriptions and Marks Signed: NEUMAN (l.r.) also signed on reverse: "Small Black Painting"/ Robert S. Neuman/ 1952" Provenance Recorded Ownership History Private Collector, gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2003. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Anonymous Gift Copyright © Estate of Robert S. Neuman Accession Year 2003 Object Number 2003.276 Division Modern and Contemporary Art Contact am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This work is executed primarily in blacks and dark browns, with touches of pale green and white, with several broad strokes of orange/red at the left. The thick, tar-like surface is dense and very rough; the paint has been dripped, splattered, gouged, and scratched in places. Above the center are two large "5"s, one in reverse. The painter has scratched his last name on the surface at the right. Neuman made the frame. Commentary After serving in the army, then studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Neuman lived in Oakland, California, in 1951-52. He made a series of dense, abstract black paintngs: one of the earliest was "Small Black Painting". At the time he had recently become aware of the work of Clifford Still, Richard Diebenkorn, David Park, and other California artists. For a decade, Neuman worked in a powerful, individual manner, in a style that puts him in the mainstream of this era. Exhibition History Robert S. Neuman: Fifty Years, Allan Stone Gallery, New York, 01/12/2006 - 03/04/2006 Impulse and Discipline: 60 Years of Paintings by Robert S. Neuman, 1950-2010, Thorne Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene, 09/22/2017 - 12/10/2017 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
