The Terrace

Barth works almost exclusively on paper with ink, charcoal, and watercolor. He developed his practice in the 1970s in part in response to the metaphysical abstractions of Barnett Newman and Ad Reinhardt, but he also draws inspiration from Romantic art and literature. Barth considers smaller works such as this one to be drawings, while his larger works on paper correspond more closely to an idea of painting. This abstract sheet relates to group of larger works in charcoal that draw on the imagery of Central Park. He created it by applying watercolor and dye to a sheet that was then glossed with a layer of gum arabic, causing the sheet to undulate in a manner that is almost topographical.