An original and ambitious approach to understanding the creative achievements of one of the most important American artists of the twentieth century.

Totality offers a deeply researched and thoughtful account of the art of Barnett Newman (19051970). While Newmans paintings are widely regarded as among the most significant statements of abstract expressionismand emblematic of modernism at midcenturythey pose distinct challenges to formal description and historical evaluation. With this book, Michael Schreyach guides readers toward a transformed understanding of Newmans profound body of work.

Through a sequence of close readings, Schreyach examines six key termssymbol, surface, self-evidence, space, standpoint, and scalethat illuminate the meaning of Newmans claims for the metaphysical content of his art. Totality progresses from the meticulous analysis of the technical structure and visual appearance of specific works to critical and archivally documented arguments about Newmans intentions. The result is an altogether original interpretation of the artists enterprise, as surprising as it is nuanced.