Ralph Humphrey

Ralph Humphrey (1932–1990) was one of the foremost exponents of postminimalist painting in 1960s New York. As much a sculptor as a painter, Humphrey created surfaces of almost absurd tactility using casein and modeling paste: thick slabs of knobby, brightly hued pigment, arranged in fat lozenges, grids or squares. These works loom out at the viewer with both gravity and humor, insisting on a measured encounter; as the artist wrote in a journal entry, “Space coming forward is more of a confronting, more like an experience, but an experience that calls attention to its own time … I find that when the painting starts coming back at me I know I’m going to get to the observer.” This volume provides a detailed view of Humphrey’s work from 1973 to 1984, along with critical reflections on his process and his reputation.