Cleve Gray brought a profound knowledge of both Western and Chinese art history to his explorations of lyrical abstraction. After attending Princeton University, he was an artist-in-residence at the American Academy in Rome, an experience reflected in this untitled canvas. The golden ground echoes the stucco facades of Rome’s older buildings, while the overall composition evokes the dynamics of still-life arrangements. The division of space along the lower margin is further animated by the interplay of solid color blocks, transparent planes, and an energetic graphic tension.

After his World War II military service, Gray studied with Cubist painters in Paris before returning to New York. During the 1950s, he adopted a lyrical manner of gestural painting, shaped by developments in the abstract expressionist vanguard and by the strong friendships formed with his contemporaries.

Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Photo courtesy of Alexander Liberman

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