Apaquogue by Adolph Gottlieb, 1961, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

Adolph Gottlieb was one of the founders of the Abstract Expressionist movement. His work went from figural portraits in the 20's and 30's, to large amalgamations of images that resemble collages in the 40's, to stark divided canvases in the 50's and 60's. These later works are the ones he is best known for, the ones that require the viewer to study the painting and think about what is not represented, as Gottlieb himself put it,"...the very nature of abstract thought is to reduce the complexity of all of life and to bring it down to something very simple which embodies all this complexity"(from an interview of Gottlieb by Martin Friedman, 1962).

That is part of the challenge of Abstract Expressionism, it begs the viewer to invest in the work with their own thoughts and interpretations, and for this reason, many people are put-off by it. Some people would rather have the art do the work and entertain them, or clearly reflect the skill of the artist, and therefore abstract works, which seek to say a lot with very little, leave them wanting more.

Apaquogue is named for a road in East Hampton where the artist had a home.