Following the traveling exhibition Washington Color Painters (1965) curated by Gerald Nordland, the Washington Color School quickly established itself as one of the most important artistic movements of the sixties and seventies.
Six American artists participated in the original exhibition: Morris Louis (1912–1962), Kenneth Noland (1924–2010), Thomas Downing (1928–1985), Howard Mehring (1931–1978), Gene Davis (1920–1985), and Paul Reed (1919–2015). Although they were not part of a formalized art movement nor did they publish an official manifesto, all the artists included in the exhibition shared creative, technical, and even personal connections, and all had a link to Washington, D.C. Furthermore, they shared a desire to exhibit and explore color, free from representational value or symbolic function. The response to this initial exhibition—and another that same year that included the six artists already mentioned plus Leon Berkowitz (1911–1987) and Sam Gilliam (1933–2022)—was mixed. While some critics argued that the repetition of so much color was "tiresome" or that the works showed only a "decorative combination of color..." that could not be distinguished from "well-designed wallpaper" , others maintained that the works were "some of the latest and best abstract painting...something for Washingtonians to be proud of" ( Andrea Halbfinger, 1965).
Morris Louis, “Claustral,” 1961. © Morris Louis. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis formed the core of the movement, bound by a friendship that began in 1952 in a Washington studio. However, it was the support of art critic and historian Clement Greenberg and the work of Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011), especially her pivotal painting, Mountains and Sea (1952), that catalyzed Noland and Louis's breakthroughs and the development of the Washington Color School as an artistic movement. In 1953, Greenberg took Louis and Noland to Frankenthaler's New York studio, and the two were deeply impressed by her work and technique. Frankenthaler's innovative method of soaking untreated canvas directly in acrylic paint diluted with turpentine captivated Noland and Louis. This almost staining effect forged by Frankenthaler, along with the creation of Magna paint—a fast-drying acrylic paint that can be thinned without losing its chromatic saturation—transformed Noland and Louis's painting processes, especially in terms of their artistic technique. In Louis's words, Frankenthaler's work marks “a bridge between Pollock and what was possible,” opening another path for postwar artists beyond abstract expressionism (Morris Louis, 1953). Noland and Louis immediately adopted Frankenthaler's technique, fusing the paint with the fibers of untreated canvases, and then passed on their new knowledge to artists such as Thomas Downing and Howard Mehring (both Noland's students at the Catholic University of America), Gene Davis (a friend of Noland's since 1952), and Paul Reed, a friend of Davis.
Helen Frankenthaler, “Mountains and Sea,” 1952. © Helen Frankenthaler. Image courtesy of WikiArt. 1962
Although sometimes featuring polka dots, horizontal lines, chevrons, light blocks, or combinations thereof, with hard or blurred edges, with a broader or more restricted palette, color is always the protagonist in the works of the Washington Color School. In fact, here color is the artwork itself, not merely a characteristic of it. Greenberg, who not only catalyzed the breakthrough of Louis and Noland but also supported and championed the movement throughout the 1960s, described this radical new vision of color in a 1960 article for Art International as follows:
"The fabric, being soaked in paint rather than merely covered by it, becomes paint in itself, color in itself, like a dyed cloth: the threadedness and wovenness are in the color. . . . The effect conveys a sense not only of color as somehow disembodied, and therefore more purely optical, but also of color as a thing that opens and expands the picture plane. . ."
(Greenberg, 1985).
The concept of color as a thing, something physical and worthy of taking center stage in art rather than a secondary tool , marks the work of this diverse group, even though the artists sometimes diverged in aesthetics or artistic theses. Soaking the canvases in color allowed the artists to expose it with minimal intervention and play with its optical effects and tangible appearance. This idea was particularly transformative for Anne Truitt (1921–2004), V.V. Rankine (1920–2004), and Sam Gilliam, artists who explored the spatiality of color, taking it even further, this time into the realm of three-dimensionality.
Gene Davis, “Red Devil,” 1959. © Gene Davis. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
Thomas Downing, “Korfu,” 1965. © Thomas Downing. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
The label and its limitations
Although Clement Greenberg's support, the role of the first exhibition, and eventually the "Washington Color School" label itself helped legitimize the artistic activity of Louis, Noland, Mehring, Reed, and others, they also marginalized some artists who belonged to the same generation of creators. The original 1965 exhibition included only works by white, male artists, some of whom were no longer actively working in Washington, D.C., at the time (Louis had died in 1962, and Noland had moved to Vermont that same year). In contrast, artists who employed the same techniques, aesthetics, and creative values, such as Sam Gilliam, V.V. Rankine, Anne Truitt, Hilda Thorpe (1920–2000), Alma Thomas (1891–1978), Felrath Hines (1913–1993), and Mary Pinchot Meyer (1920–1964), all active in Washington during the 1950s and 60s, were not included in the original exhibition nor were they promoted by Greenberg at any point. It appears that the prejudices of Greenberg, and others, gave the Washington Color School its initially narrow focus, preventing innovative and interesting artists from achieving significant academic or commercial success until much later. Only through the work of new curators, art historians, and critics questioning the limitations of the original application of this label has the concept of the Washington Color School been expanded to include a broader range of artists. However, many still lack the institutional attention their work deserves.
Sam Gilliam, “Light Depth,” 1969. © Sam Gilliam. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
A thorough exploration of the work of each artist who identified as a member of the Washington Color School, or who engaged with it, is beyond the scope of this article. However, despite a diversity of aesthetics, forms, materials, and sometimes concepts, they all championed, explored, and celebrated color. They sought to transcend the material limitations of paints and canvases to expose color in its purest form, “freer from the interference of tactile associations” (Greenberg, 1960). Its members recognized color as a protagonist, possessing intrinsic value without the need for excessive intervention or a descriptive function, and skillfully harnessed its capacity to communicate beauty and express emotions. Their works present color as “thing,” as itself—a radical extension of postwar abstract art and an inspiration for generations of artists ever since.
Anne Truitt, “A Wall for Apricots” 1968. © Anne Truitt. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
Alma Thomas, “Starry Night and the Astronauts,” 1972. © Alma Woodsey Thomas. Image courtesy of WikiArt.
Shifting trends in the art world, particularly the rise of Minimalism throughout the 1960s and 70s, and the popularity of art and artists engaged with politics and the civil rights movement, marked the end of the Washington Color School. However, artists throughout the 1980s, 90s, and into the present day continue to engage with its techniques and philosophies, interpreting them in diverse ways in accordance with the artistic evolution of subsequent decades. Furthermore, recent work by institutions and curators has re-examined the movement's influence and redefined its members, opening it up to a broader range of creators and not just the artists who initially received the most support. Today, the Washington Color School is understood as one of the most significant American art movements of the postwar period and an important counterpoint to Abstract Expressionism, championing artistic production outside the New York bubble.
