MILTON RESNICK
(American, 1917-2004)
Untitled
oil on masonite, signed and dated lower left "Resnick 60"
32 x 20 inches

Provenance: Noah Goldowsky Fine Art, New York, New York; Zolla Lieberman Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, 1970; Private Collection, by descent in the family; Hindman Auctioneers, Chicago, Illinois, May 16-17, 2010, lot 44; Private Collection, New York.

Other Notes:
A member of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, Milton Resnick was a lifelong New Yorker after immigrating from Ukraine with his family as an infant in 1917. He was trained at the American Artists School and participated in the WPA artist project in the 1930s. During World War II he served five years in the U.S. Army, returning to New York in September of 1945.

After a couple of years of painting in Paris, 1946 – 1948, Resnick was back in New York and associating with the burgeoning group of artists who evolved into the New York School. He was also an original member of the artist group known as "The Club" in 1949 along with Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Ad Reinhardt, and Jack Tworkov.

Resnick's work was included in the ground-breaking, artist-organized 9th Street Art Exhibition in 1951, the debut group exhibition of Abstract Expressionism in New York City. The exhibition included Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Grace Hartigan, Philip Guston, Elaine de Kooning, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Ad Reinhardt, Robert Motherwell and many others.

Over time, Resnick's work evolved from abstracted and colorful forms laid down aggressively on the canvas to an allover technique of regular brushstrokes built up in successive and relentless impasto. The later paintings no longer have formal aspects or any residual evidence of lines. Instead, Resnick sought to give meaning to his abstractions through the material paint alone. The later canvases are so heavy with paint that large ones can weigh in the hundreds of pounds. Resnick's paintings are thus an investigation of the very nature of paint, its presence on the canvas and how each brushstroke, each additional dab, changes its state until it reaches a coherence for Resnick.

The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation describe his evolution, "Over his long career, Resnick painted 'through' classic Abstract Expressionist action painting, to arrive at works that gave the impression of allover monochromatic fields, although in fact comprised of myriad hues. Through the 1970s and 1980s his paint application became increasingly dense and his palette generally darkened, resulting in canvases of subtle, almost topographical presence." [1]

Untitled, dates to the period of the artist's well-received solo show in 1960 with the Howard Wise Gallery and showcases the beginning of the work that he would become most known for. As an earlier work, the color field is not monochromatic yet but moving in that direction, still holding a varietal field of color. That mosaic of hues conjures an illusory 3-dimensional, geographic-like quality to the layers of paint that in his later works Resnick's unique process would achieve through actual layer after layer of physical paint application.

[1] The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation, Resnick Bio/Chronology, Retrieved March 16, 2021 from https://www.resnickpasslof.org/new-page

tags: Abstract Expressionism, post war, modern / contemporary, oil painting, 20th century

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Invaluable will be subject to an additional 5% charge (30%
total buyer's premium) and purchases made online through
shannons.com will be subject to an additional 2% charge
(27% buyer's premium). Payment may be made by, check,
ACH or wire transfer. Visa, MasterCard and Amex may
be used up to the amount of $5,000 per auction. We currently
collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Taxes on your purchase

We currently collect sales tax in CT, KS, MA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI and
VA and remit the appropriate sales tax. If we do not collect sales
tax in your state, it is still your responsibility to pay the proper tax
on your purchases.
ALL ITEMS MUST BE PAID FOR WITHIN 14 DAYS OF THE SALE, AT WHICH POINT THEY WILL BE RELEASED FOR SHIPMENT OR DELIVERY.

Condition Statement & Glossary of Terms

Shannon's LLC Fine Art Auctioneers acts solely as an agent for various owners and consignors. It exercises care in describing all items listed and uses judgment in attributing authorship, but offers no guarantee regarding authenticity, condition, or description. The items described in this catalog, which description may be amended by notice or announcement at sale time, are offered for sale by Shannon's LLC as agent for various owners or others authorized to sell the items.

Glossary of Terms:
After:A work of art or object made in the style of an artist or maker, but not by the artist. Sometimes refers multiples that may have used an artist's mold or plate, but were reproduced by someone other than the artist, including posthumous works. Can also be used to describe a direct reproduction after an original work of art.
Attributed (attr.):In our opinion, probably or possibly a work of art by the artist. The work is either unsigned, and/or lacks adequate provenance or authentication by experts in the field.
Bears Signature: The work is signed, but the work and signature may not be by the hand of the artist.
Manner of: Made in the likeness or style of an artist, with a slight possibility that it was made by the artist or by a follower or student of the artist. Also see "After" and "Attributed".
Possibly:Being something that may or may not be true or actual without guarantee.
Probably:Supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof. We do not guarantee it to be true.
School:Usually relates to a particular artistic or aesthetic movement. It can also relate to an actual school or to followers of a particular artist or maker. Also see:"Manner of", "Style", "Attributed to" and "After".
Style:After the time period in which the style originated, or a more recent reproduction (ie: Style of Pablo Picasso or Cubist Style), used to refer to the style of a particular artist or artistic movement, generally made long after that time period.