Tension is built in Two Bars between four coloured circles on the left of the picture and a deep, black circle with a violet aureole on the right. The title is taken from the two bars drawn in black and white which sit quite inconspicuously at the upper left edge of the picture.
Adolph Gottlieb was interested in a wide range of artworks, from works by various tribal groups to Western art, which he studied in Europe in 1921 at the age of 17. He shared his enthusiasm for signs and symbols and the conviction that they were signposts for a universal language with other artists of the time. From the mid-1950s, this preoccupation gave rise to the pictorial element of the circular form, which also dominates Two Bars. On the question of the meaning of his forms, he said in an interview in 1963: ‘My paintings can represent an atomic bomb, a sun, or something else altogether: depending on the thinking of whoever is looking at it.’ [1]
Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974)
Two Bars, 1964
Currently exhibited: Yes (Gallery: Painting as a Home)
Material: Oil on canvas
Size: 198 x 335 cm
Inv-Nr.: A_078
Image rights: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Keywords:
Previous owner: Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, New York; private collection; Will Ameringer Fine Art Inc., New York; Advanta Collection
Acquisition: Reinhard Ernst Collection, Christie’s, New York, 2010
Solo exhibitions:
1996
‘Adolph Gottlieb. Paintings 1956–1964’, Knoedler & Co., New York, USA
1988
‘Adolph Gottlieb. Horizontal Paintings’, Knoedler & Co., New York, USA
1982
‘Adolph Gottlieb. Selected Works 1938–1973’, Knoedler & Co., New York, USA
The tension in Two Bars arises between four colored circles on the left side and a deep black circle with a violet halo on the right side. The title refers to two black-and-white bars, placed inconspicuously at the upper left edge of the painting. This raises the question of the relationship between these contrasting forms. In this large-scale painting, Gottlieb combines the circular shapes and the two bars from two of his earlier series, the Imaginary Landscapes and the Burst Paintings.
Adolph Gottlieb valued the works of various tribal groups, but his knowledge and interests extended far beyond that. In 1921, at the age of seventeen, he made his way to Europe and spent over a year studying a wide range of artworks in the museums of Paris, Munich, Berlin, Vienna, and other cities. His studies included ethnographic collections, but his education was equally influenced by Western art, from classical antiquity to contemporary modernism. In Paris, he reportedly visited the Louvre every day for several months.
Furthermore, during his time in Tucson in 1937/1938, he visited the Native American collections of the Arizona State Museum. He likely saw the Prehistoric Rock Pictures in Europe and Africa exhibition at MoMA, though no direct documentation confirms his visit. Regarding the meaning of his forms, Gottlieb said in a 1965 interview: ‘My paintings can represent an atomic bomb, a sun, or something else altogether: depending on the thinking of whoever is looking at it.’ [1]
The universality of images used in all societies and eras was a frequent topic of discussion for Gottlieb and his colleagues, and he often addressed this in the 1940s. In The Tiger’s Eye in 1947, he stated: ‘The role of the artist has always been that of image-maker. Different times require different images… To my mind, certain so-called abstraction is not abstraction at all. On the contrary, it is the realism of our time.’ [2] His interest in symbols extended to other cultures, and he shared this enthusiasm with artists like Arshile Gorky, Theodoros Stamos, and Jackson Pollock. His early interest in symbolism led to the creation of the circular form that dominates Two Bars, but it is important to note that these forms are abstract and not literal representations.
Moreover, Gottlieb played a significant role in advancing Helen Frankenthaler’s career. In 1950, the Kootz Gallery invited Gottlieb and four other artists to nominate works by lesser-known artists for an exhibition. Gottlieb nominated Frankenthaler’s Beach, which led to her solo exhibition at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery in 1951. This connection between Gottlieb and Frankenthaler adds an additional layer of depth to the exploration of both artists, particularly as the museum recently acquired Frankenthaler’s Green Moon.
[1] Anon., ‘Gottlieb Pinta Explosoes’, Ultima Hora La (São Paulo), 27 September 1963, quoted in: Adolph Gottlieb: A Retrospective, Ex.-Cat., Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice 2011, p. 42.
[2] Published in ‘The Ides of Art: The Attitudes of Ten Artists on Their Art and Contemporaneousness’, The Tiger’s Eye, vol. 1, no. 2, December 1947.
