Meditations in Color: Abstraction After Rothko and Newman
Explore how Ritu Raj continues the legacy of Rothko and Newman, creating abstract paintings of color, silence, and meaning
In the mid-20th century, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, and Clyfford Still transformed the landscape of painting through Color Field abstraction. Their vast canvases invited viewers into meditative spaces, where color itself became subject, emotion, and philosophy. Decades later, their influence remains profound—especially for artists like myself who see abstraction as a way to explore time, silence, and meaning.
What draws me to Rothko is not only his fields of color but his belief in art’s ability to reach the spiritual. When I layer pigments into glowing surfaces, I am seeking a similar immersion—the sense that a painting can hold more than what is visible. Newman’s iconic “zips,” those vertical lines of energy, inspire the structural tensions in my compositions, where fractures and borders create moments of stillness and movement.
At the same time, my practice diverges into new territory. Working with string as a painting tool and sculpted wood panels, I reimagine the legacy of Color Field painters through material innovation. Where Rothko dissolved edges, my string lines anchor them. Where Newman used flat expanses, my CNC surfaces introduce shadow and texture, grounding abstraction in physical presence.
For collectors, engaging with works like mine means connecting with both history and innovation. The lineage of Rothko and Newman is familiar, respected, and resonant—yet the reinterpretation speaks to today’s moment. For gallerists, it offers a way to situate contemporary abstraction within a narrative that audiences already understand while expanding its vocabulary.
Abstraction, after all, is not about repeating what came before but about asking what color, space, and silence can mean in the present. In my paintings, I strive to continue that dialogue—inviting viewers into meditations that are at once rooted in tradition and alive with new possibilities.
