Ray Parker
(Beresford, South Dakota, 1922 - 1990, New York, United States)
Untitled
1962
Oil on canvas
16 1/8 x 13 1/4 in. (40.9 x 33.8 cm)
Collection of the Akron Art Museum
Gift of The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States, a National Gift program of Contemporary Art, is announced by the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
2009.30.24
More Information
This painting is one of two by Parker in the Vogel collection and is the earliest of Akron’s Vogel works. Parker was a jazz music enthusiast, which, combined with his interest in abstract expressionism, led to his improvised painting style. Parker was also influenced by French painter Henri Matisse’s use of color and form. This work is one of his Simple Paintings, which are characterized by cloudlike colored lozenges floating on neutral backgrounds. Parker’s work relates to color field paintings of the 1960s, made popular by artists such as Morris Louis and Helen Frankenthaler, whose paintings are on view in the nearby Haslinger Family Galleries.
Keywords
Oil paintingAbstract art