Paintings by Clyfford Still

Clifford Still (1904 – 1980) was an American painter whose work is tied to the Abstract Expressionist and Color Field Movements. He studied at the Spokane University and later received his MFA from Washington State College. In the early 1940s, Still’s art shifted from representational to abstraction, which was notably much earlier than his contemporaries who continued to paint representationally well into the 1940s. Still is considered to be one of the leading pioneers of Abstract Expressionism. His work is characterized by it’s jagged, cavern-like edges between light and dark colors. He was also known for using thick paint application, which gave his work a lot of depth. Later in his career, Still became increasingly critical of the commercial art world and eventually severed all ties with it by the 1950s, however he continued to produce artwork for himself without external pressures.

Clyfford Still’s paintings in chronological order:

Untitled, 1934 PH 77, 1936 1936-7-No. 2, 1936
PH-343, 1937 1938-N-No. 1, 1938 PH-351, 1940
Self-Portrait (PH-382), 1940 1941-R, 1941 Untitled, 1942
1943-J, 1943 1944-G, 1944 1944-N No. 1, 1944
1945-H, 1945 Untitled (formerly Self-Portrait), 1945 1947-Y-No. 2, 1947
1947-R-No. 1, 1947 PH-118, 1947 1947-H-No. 3, 1947
1947-S, 1947 Untitled, 1947 Untitled, 1947
1949-A-No.1, 1949 PH-385 (1949 No. 1), 1949 1949 No. 1, 1949
1950-K-No. 1, 1950 Untitled, 1951 PH-104, 1952
1952-A, 1952 Untitled, 1952 Untitled, 1952
Untitled, 1954 1956-D, 1956 1957-D No. 1, 1957
1957-J No. 2, 1957 Untitled, 1957 Untitled, 1959
Untitled, 1950 Untitled, 1960 Untitled, 1962
Untitled, 1962 Untitled, 1971 Untitled, 1974
Untitled, 1974 PH-1033, 1976 PH-1023, 1976