Robert Natkin

Iago March #1

1971

Exhibited: Tibor de Nagy Poulis is a color field painter associated with the abstract expressionist school. One critic describes his work thusly: "These paintings are about mark-...

Ex collection Carolyn Dunlap Millet Exhibited: Knoedler and Co, NY; Tibor de Nagy, Houston; Berry Campbell, NY Walter Darby Bannard was a leading prop...

Among America’s leading abstract artists, Dan Christensen (1942-2007) was devoted over the course of forty years to exploring the limits, range, and possibilities of paint and pictor...

Provenance: Fischbach Gallery, New York Collection of A. Aladar Marberger Ray Parker, a New York School Abstract Expressionist, was a colorist influenced by Cubism in his early wor...

Provenance: Southampton, NY collector; Peter Marcelle Gallery, Southampton Raymond Parker (1922-1990) was an Abstract expressionist painter who also is associated with Color Field ...

We are pleased to offer this work by second generation AbEx painter Robert Natkin and painted in delicious colors of yellow, tangerine, blue, red and purple. It fits well within a variety of decor settings. Described as the "author of a dappled infinite," Natkin created some of the most innovative color abstractions of the late 20th century. Populated by stripes, dots, grids, and an array of free-floating forms, his light- filled canvases are sensuous, playful, and visually complex. While attending the school of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1948 to 1952, Natkin was afforded the opportunity to study the museum's world-class collection of French post-impressionist art and decided to turn his attention to painting instead. During these formative years, Natkin was inspired by the examples of Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse, who used decorative patterning and arbitrary color to evoke mood. Most importantly, he also discovered the work of Paul Klee, the Swiss-German artist whose whimsical, semi-abstract paintings reflected his belief that "art does not reproduce the visible but makes visible"--a credo that nurtured Natkin's burgeoning interest in emotional content. In 1952, he lived briefly in New York, where he saw and was influenced by the bold canvases of Willem de Kooning. In 1959, aware of the limited patronage for abstract art in Chicago, Natkin and Dolnick moved to New York, where Natkin joined the stable of artists associated with the Poindexter Gallery, known for its support of emerging painters and sculptors. Immersed in the dynamism of the New York art world, where Abstract Expressionism and Color-Field painting were the dominant styles of the day, Natkin's aesthetic approach continued to evolve. In 1961, he adopted a serial approach to painting, a practice he would adhere to throughout his career. Natkin began to develop a more intricate style (indebted to Klee), depicting diamonds, polygons, ovals, squiggles and other shapes against textured, delicately toned backgrounds interspersed with seemingly randomly placed dots and daubs of pigment and areas of crosshatching. This new style is evident in the "Intimate Lighting" series works. In 1970 Natkin put aside his brushes and began to use sponges...

1974 Acrylic on canvas mounted on board 6 x 13 in. Titled and dated, verso Framed

1981 Magna acrylic on canvas mounted on board 5 7/8 x 15 in. (14.9 x 38.1 cm) Unique Titled and dated, /81 45" x 116" "HOT PURSUIT" on the reverse Framed

1972 Acrylic on canvas 34 x 65 in. (86.4 x 165.1 cm) Signed and dated, verso

1974 Acrylic on canvas mounted on board 7 x 6 in. Titled and dated, verso Framed

1976 Magna acrylic on canvas mounted on board 10 x 9 in. (25.4 x 22.9 cm) Unique Signed, lower margin; Titled and dated, #265 + B. 72 x 72" "ROYAL COOL" 1976, verso Framed

1973 Acrylic on canvas mounted on board 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in. Titled and dated, verso Framed