Canto IV — Fine Art

Canto IV by Barnett Newman uses broad colour fields with a narrow vertical line running through the middle. The dark forms sit beside a lighter area and the line breaks the field into two parts. The image belongs to colour field painting and relies on simple shapes rather than detail.

The fine art print is made on matte paper so the flat tones stay even and the dark side does not shine under a lamp. A light frame works on a dark wall, and a dark frame works on a pale wall. The frame finish can follow the room.

On a hallway wall with a single bulb overhead the line reads as a thin bright cut through the dark field. From the landing you see the two colour areas and the line first, before the frame.