Ad Reinhardt (1913-1967)

Of his painting, Ad Reinhardt had said, "it is just this and nothing else" (A. Reinhardt quoted in M. Rowlitt, "Style as Recurrence," in Ad Reinhardt and Color, exh. cat., New York, 1980, p. 26). Simply put, Reinhardt often refused any associations made to exterior meaning in his work. His use of colors and bold geometries places him in the legacy of Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg, saying as one point that he wished to go "beyond Mondrian," and prove the limitations of painting. Yet just as Mondrian sought color equilibrium in his compositions, Reinhardt's early compositions such as Untitled strive for balance and equality of color, which in turn he felt would translate ultimately to social value.