Kenneth Noland

KENNETH NOLAND, 1924-2010

Within a few years, Noland’s style changed dramatically, a development closely linked to his friendship with fellow abstract artist Morris Louis, whom Noland met in 1952. Inspired by their shared passion for color and prompted by seeing poured stain paintings in Helen Frankenthaler’s studio during a trip to New York in 1953, the two artists began collaborating on series of “jam paintings.” These experiments in soaking large, unstretched canvases with diluted acrylic paint set new directions for each artist’s oeuvre when they returned to working independently. For Noland, the dynamics of color became the primary subject matter of his painting.