New study reassesses Herman Cherry's 1970 abstraction and ties to nature

A new study repositions Herman Cherry (1909-1992), a vital member of the New York School, within the context of abstract artists who retained a connection to nature. Cherry, who began shifting from figurative expression to abstraction in the mid-1940s, is often grouped with celebrated abstract and color field artists. However, the study highlights lesser-discussed figures like Mark Tobey and Clyfford Still, whose abstraction never abandoned a representational referent, especially nature. They embraced Wassily Kandinsky's concept of "the spirit," expressing one's inner self through color and form. Another key influence was Stanton Macdonald-Wright, a Los Angeles-based artist and theorist who co-conceived Synchromy, a method using color based on optical and musical principles. Cherry's interest in nature and his training under Macdonald-Wright are central to this reassessment. The study is based on new research and appears to be published in a scholarly context, as indicated by the URL from ArtDaily. The exact publication venue and author are not specified in the provided content.