Abstract Expressionist Barnett Newman (1905 – 1970) made profound statements and defied artistic norms with minimal colors and shapes. From New York, Newman created huge canvases characterized by large color fields and slender vertical lines he called “zips,” and co-founded an art school with Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell. Radical, symbolic and spiritual, Newman’s works were initially resented and misunderstood. Later achieving deep respect, Newman strongly influenced the 1960s color-field painters.