Clyfford Still Artworks and Artist Study

Vocabulary terms and key concepts related to the life and works of Abstract Expressionist painter Clyfford Still.

'Jagged flame' aesthetic

Clyfford Still's signature style featuring a raw background sliced by thin, vertical streaks of vibrant pigment and textured gray.

Still's Titling Convention

The artist's practice of using dates and letters instead of descriptive labels to avoid restricting the viewer's interpretation.

Anderson Collection

The collection at Stanford University that houses the monumental canvas 1957-J No. 1 (PH-142).

Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting

The two artistic movements in which Clyfford Still established a pioneer role during the late 1940s.

California School of Fine Arts

The West Coast institution where Clyfford Still spent influential years and produced works such as 1947-Y-No. 2.

Impasto

A technique used by Still to give paint physical weight and a sculpted texture, as seen in 1948-K.

1951

The year Clyfford Still famously broke ties with commercial galleries to protect his artistic integrity.

Clyfford Still Museum

A dedicated institution in Denver established based on Still's belief that his works gained power when shown together in a space free from distractions.

1953 (PH-114)

A work that highlights an immersive, human-scale presence, forcing a visceral encounter through dense red and black fields.

Tectonic shapes

Jagged forms created by Still using palette knives to heavily layer paints in works like 1957-J No. 1.