“The Station of the Cross – Third Station,” created by Barnett Newman in 1960, is an oil on canvas painting that falls within the Color Field Painting movement and is characterized by its abstract genre. The artwork exemplifies Newman’s mastery in minimalistic abstraction.
The artwork features a predominantly neutral background, with two vertical black lines standing out boldly against the canvas. The line on the left side is wide and uniformly painted, forming a dark border. In contrast, the right side of the canvas showcases a narrower and more textured black line, which has additional depth and tactile quality due to the visible brushstrokes and irregular edges. The space between these lines is bathed in a serene expanse of off-white, further emphasizing the stark simplicity yet powerful expression of the piece. The simplicity and austerity of the composition draw the viewer’s attention to the subtle interplay between structure and void, reflecting the meditative essence of the Color Field Painting movement.
