K B 2

Robert Goodnough’s Late-Career Abstraction: A Study in Dynamic Balance

K B 2, painted in 1992, represents a pivotal moment in Robert Goodnough’s six-decade exploration of Abstract Expressionism. By the early 1990s, Goodnough had long abandoned the figurative roots of his 1940s work, embracing instead a language of bold geometric forms and saturated color fields. This composition distills his mature style: jagged black contours slice through vibrant planes of red, yellow, and cobalt, creating a tension between spontaneity and deliberate structure. The title’s cryptic alphanumeric code—reminiscent of his earlier "K" series—hints at a private system of notation, while the painting itself rejects any literal interpretation.

Goodnough’s late works like K B 2 emerged during a period when many first-generation Abstract Expressionists had either softened their approach or abandoned painting entirely. As MoMA’s retrospective of the movement notes, artists such as Goodnough and his contemporaries faced the challenge of maintaining relevance in an art world increasingly dominated by Pop and Minimalism. His solution was to intensify his focus on color relationships and spatial ambiguity. The interlocking shapes in K B 2 appear to advance and recede simultaneously, a technique that aligns with his statement that "a painting should be an event, not a picture of an event." This work’s compact 30×40 cm format belies its visual complexity, demanding prolonged engagement from the viewer.

Goodnough in the 1990s: Defining a Legacy Beyond the New York School

By 1992, Robert Goodnough occupied a unique position in American abstraction. As one of the youngest members of the original Abstract Expressionist cohort—he was born in 1917, a decade after Pollock and de Kooning—he witnessed the movement’s rise, commercialization, and eventual eclipse. Unlike many peers who pivoted to sculpture or printmaking, Goodnough remained committed to painting, refining a style that The Art Story describes as "post-Painterly Abstraction with a gestural edge." His 1990s works, including K B 2, reveal an artist stripping away extraneous elements to focus on essential contrasts: opaque versus transparent, matte versus glossy, organic versus geometric.

The painting’s restricted palette—primarily black, red, and yellow—reflects Goodnough’s late-career economy of means. Where his 1950s canvases often exploded with a dozen hues, works like K B 2 demonstrate how he could generate visual energy through juxtaposition alone. The black lines function simultaneously as boundaries and active participants in the composition, a duality that critics linked to his background in both painting and poetry. Goodnough’s poems, published in small-press volumes during this period, frequently employed similar structural devices, reinforcing the interconnectedness of his creative output.

K B 2’s apparent simplicity masks a sophisticated exploration of perceptual instability—what appears as a flat red plane from one angle reveals itself as a recessed space from another.

Composition and Spatial Manipulation

Architectonic Structure

The painting’s foundation rests on a grid-like armature of black lines that divide the canvas into irregular quadrants. Unlike Mondrian’s rigid neoplasticism, Goodnough’s divisions feel organic, as though the lines grew from the color fields rather than imposing order upon them. The vertical black stripe on the left, for instance, appears to emerge from the red ground before asserting its own presence. This ambiguity between figure and ground creates what art historian Dore Ashton termed "a breathing space" within the composition.

Chromatic Interaction

Goodnough’s color choices in K B 2 exemplify his mastery of simultaneous contrast. The cadmium red—applied in thin, uneven layers—vibrates against the matte black, while the small yellow rectangle in the upper right acts as a visual catalyst. This yellow, though occupying less than five percent of the canvas, balances the entire composition by drawing the eye upward and counteracting the dominant red. The artist’s decision to leave portions of the canvas bare (visible along the black lines’ edges) adds a tactile dimension, reminding viewers that these are physical materials, not digital constructs.

Displaying K B 2: A Statement for Modern Interiors

K B 2’s bold graphic presence makes it an ideal focal point for contemporary living spaces. The print’s 30×40 cm dimensions suit both intimate and expansive walls: center it above a mid-century modern credenza in a home office, or pair it with floating shelves in a minimalist living room. The dominant red and black palette harmonizes with monochromatic interiors, while the yellow accent provides a bridge to warmer tones in wood furniture or textile accessories. For maximum impact, mount the framed print on a matte white or light gray wall—this allows the vibrant colors to assert themselves without competition. In commercial settings, K B 2’s dynamic composition energizes reception areas or conference rooms, particularly when paired with streamlined Scandinavian furnishings.

More Works by Robert Goodnough

Explore additional framed prints from Robert Goodnough’s prolific career, spanning six decades of Abstract Expressionist innovation.

Robert Goodnough

Red Blue And Grey Post Painterly Abstraction

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7 7 N

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Robert Goodnough

Untitled

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Robert Goodnough

Blue And Green

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