Red Umbrella,

1945

In 1944, Avery abandoned the brushy paint application and detailing of his earlier paintings to create works with smooth areas of broad and unmodulated, vibrant color. With these flat areas of color, the artist reduced the illusion of depth by calling attention to the picture plane. Avery selectively conveyed form and texture by scratching onto the painted surface with a sharp object, a technique that enabled him to approach pure abstraction without relinquishing his fundamental commitment to representation. The resulting spare aesthetic heightened awareness of his sophisticated color harmonies, in which space was articulated less by form than by the subtle relationships among various hues. His formal innovations had a profound influence on the next generation of American artists, including Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, who purchased Red Umbrella in 1946.