1947 | Oil on Canvas
Douglas Denniston (b. 1922, d. 2004) developed a distinct modernist style, absorbing the ideas and methodologies of the Transcendental Painting Group and forging his own path in painting and printmaking. Upon arriving in New Mexico in 1945, Denniston became immersed in the artistic community of Taos and studied with Raymond Johnson. Combining his modernist impulse with Southwestern art traditions and the colors of the Sonoran Desert, Denniston created poetic compositions. Through masterful use of color, bold forms of pure abstraction, and signature impasto brushwork, Denniston gained acclaim and showed alongside Richard Diebenkorn, Paul Harris, Agnes Martin, Enrique Montenegro, and Adja Yunkers.Douglas Denniston arrived in New Mexico in 1945 and immediately became immersed in the Santa Fe/Taos Art Movement. His distinct style combines modernism with the traditional patterns and colors of the American Southwest. Denniston’s preliminary work was informed by his studies under Raymond Jonson and his involvement with the Transcendental Painting Group, which he founded with Emil Bisttram in 1938. During his time in New Mexico, Denniston produced pure abstractions devoid of clear references to figures or landscapes and embraced a charged palette of incandescent colors and shapes. He vigorously explored different materials and processes, investigating formal issues in color and composition and establishing his lifelong conversation with abstraction. Douglas Denniston has received critical recognition, sharing wall space with colleagues and friends such as Richard Diebenkorn, Paul Harris,Agnes Martin, Enrique Montenegro, and Adja Yunkers. Exhibits from this period included MOMA,The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Butler Institute of American Art.