postpainterly

PostPainterly, also referred to as post-painterly abstraction, is a term used to describe a broad group of non-figurative painting in the United States during the late 1950s through the 1960s. Coined by critic Clement Greenberg in 1964, the label signaled a shift away from the gestural, improvised brushwork of Abstract Expressionism toward surfaces that emphasize flatness, clarity, and decisive edges. The term encompasses both Color Field painting and hard-edge painting, among other tendencies, unified by an emphasis on perception, optical effects, and a restrained, impersonal approach to mark-making.

Characteristics of PostPainterly works include flat fields of color, minimal or no visible brushwork, precise boundaries, and an avoidance of overt narrative content. Compositions often rely on serial arrangements, large unobstructed planes, or carefully modulated color relationships. The painting surface is usually treated as an authority over gesture, inviting close looking rather than dramatic movement.

Key figures associated with PostPainterly Abstraction include Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, and Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park series. The movement also intersected with Minimalism and other late-20th-century approaches to abstraction, reflecting a search for perceptual clarity and formal rigor.

Reception and influence: Greenberg's labeling helped frame a transitional phase in American painting and influenced later movements such as Minimalism and conceptual art. Critics have varied in assessment, noting both its formal rigor and its perceived coldness, while supporters emphasize its exploration of color, perception, and surface.