Oscar Cahén

Oscar Cahén
Life & Work by Jaleen Grove
Post-Painterly Abstraction
A style of modernist painting championed by the critic Clement Greenberg, who invented
the term as the title for a significant exhibition he curated for the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art that also toured to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Art
Gallery of Ontario. The style favoured the openness and clarity of thinly applied planes of
colour. Artists associated with the style include Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis,
Kenneth Noland, and the Canadians Jack Bush and Kenneth Lochhead.
process colours
The transparent ink colours cyan, magenta, yellow, and black used to reproduce fullcolour
photographs or artworks in offset lithographic printing.
Rattner, Abraham (American, 1895–1978)
An Expressionist who painted in a Cubist style, Rattner spent two decades in Europe
before returning to America in 1939. On a road trip, writer Henry Miller and Rattner
documented American life and subsequently published the account as The Air-
Conditioned Nightmare. In his later career, Rattner designed stained glass that
incorporated religious symbolism and references to the Holocaust and nuclear war.
Rockwell, Norman (American, 1894–1978)
A prolific illustrator and painter, Rockwell produced sentimental images of everyday
American life. A long-time illustrator for the Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell was a
popular artist who was critically dismissed during his lifetime. He remains among the
most well-known American artists of his era.
Ronald, William (Canadian, 1926–1998)
An Abstract Expressionist and member of Painters Eleven, which sprang from the
Toronto group exhibition that he organized in 1953, Abstracts at Home. Ronald lived in
New York from 1955 to 1965. His work is held both by New York institutions—including
the Whitney, Guggenheim, and MoMA—and by numerous Canadian museums.
Rotter, Vilém (Czech, 1903–1960)
An influential graphic artist, Rotter established Rotter Studio, which became the most
influential design studio in Prague. Rotter’s design incorporated features of modern
movements: Art Deco, Expressionism, and abstraction.
Rouault, Georges (French, 1871–1958)
Known for his highly personal and expressive style, Rouault first gained notoriety in the
early 1900s with his compassionate renderings of prostitutes and other marginalized
people. Informed by Christian spiritualism, his work was finally embraced by the church
shortly before his death.
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