Clyfford Still's formative and breakthrough abstracts (1944–1955)
While teaching in Richmond, Virginia, Still produced 1944–N No. 1 (PH-235)—a jagged, high-contrast canvas widely cited as an early, mature statement of what would be called Abstract Expressionism.
In 1944, Still developed additional dark-ground abstractions (e.g., 1944-G) that reinforce his emerging vocabulary of vertical rifts, dense fields, and jagged color forms—key ingredients of his breakthrough style.
Still’s PH-233 [formerly Self-Portrait] (1945) shows him forging a distinct approach while still reflecting earlier modernist currents, marking a bridge between his 1930s–early 1940s work and the full-force abstractions that followed.
In 1946, Still was hired to lead painting at the California School of Fine Arts (now San Francisco Art Institute), where his instruction helped make the school a major West Coast node for the ideas and artists associated with Abstract Expressionism.
Introduced by Mark Rothko, Still received a solo exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century in early 1946—an important New York breakthrough that positioned his new abstractions within the emerging postwar avant-garde.
In 1947, Still had solo exhibitions at Betty Parsons Gallery in New York and at San Francisco’s California Palace of the Legion of Honor, strengthening his national profile while he continued producing increasingly monumental abstractions.
Still’s 1947-H No. 1 (PH-265) exemplifies his newly consolidated formal vocabulary—large color masses and jagged edges—often discussed as an early, decisive maturation relative to many contemporaries.
The 1947 painting PH-371 (1947-S) reflects Still’s move toward large-scale, immersive compositions and the heightened physicality of paint that would be central to his breakthrough abstracts.
Across his CSFA years (1946–1950), Still is widely described as establishing his basic themes and signature approach—monumental fields, palette-knife surfaces, and stark color ruptures—laying groundwork for the 1950s peak.
A 1950 solo show at Betty Parsons Gallery further cemented Still’s position in the New York art world as Abstract Expressionism gained momentum, even as he remained wary of commercial pressures.
Still’s 1950-W exemplifies his mature 1950s direction: concentrated, jagged forms and saturated fields handled with commanding scale and material presence.
Still held a further solo exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery in 1951, continuing a run of high-visibility presentations that coincided with the consolidation of the New York School.
In 1952, Still painted works such as PH-84. Around this period he became increasingly aloof from the New York art world, soon entering a multi-year stretch in which he largely refused to exhibit.
By 1955, Still was producing large, fully mature abstractions (e.g., 1955-K and Untitled (PH-786, 1955-R)), characterized by monumental scale, jagged “torn” shapes, and high-contrast color fields—hallmarks of his breakthrough language in this period.
