Night Burn is an oil painting on canvas by American figurative painter and draftsman, Sidney Goodman. Created in 1986-87, the painting measures 90 1/8 x 67 1/8 inches and was acquired by Wichita Art Museum through the Burneta Adair Endowment Fund. Goodman is known for his exploration of human form, evident in Night Burn’s portrayal of an intertwined, abstracted duo amidst a fiery palette.
Goodman rose to public notice in the early 1960s with his oil paintings, earning a spot in the prestigious Whitney Biennial exhibition in 1973. In preparation for his retrospective show at Philadelphia Museum of Art, which took place two decades later in 1996, he created Night Burn as part of his series exploring dance and movement.
The St. Louis Art Museum analyzed Night Burn’s use of light and dark colors to represent both the physicality and metaphysicality of dance. The painting has also garnered interest from auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s where it has been sold, as well as literary art journal Gulf Coast who dedicated a volume to discussing Goodman’s art.
