“Outcry” is a significant piece by Barnett Newman, created in 1958. Belonging to the Color Field Painting movement, this abstract artwork embodies the principles of that genre by emphasizing large fields of color meant to produce an emotional response in the viewer.
The artwork features a dominant, vertical strip of dark color, which appears roughly textured and irregular along its edges, contrasting sharply with the lighter background. Hues of blue subtly accentuate the border of the dark stripe, which seems to be enveloped or battling with the surrounding negative space. The width of the strip varies slightly, introducing a dynamic tension within the otherwise simple composition. The stark contrasts and intense palette are characteristic of Newman’s attempt to communicate profound and primal human emotions through minimalistic yet powerful imagery.
