For Becky 1969

Ronnie Landfield made this abstract painting, ‘For Becky’, with acrylic on canvas. The colorful composition emphasizes the physical properties of paint, gesturing to the formalist concerns dominating American art schools and museums in the 1960s and 70s. The legacy of abstract expressionism is clear. But what does it mean to make abstract paintings in an era of social upheaval? Looking back, we can see how the concerns of art institutions often diverged from more grassroots movements for social change. Landfield’s work, for example, emerged during a period of great institutional expansion for art in the United States, fueled by new government funding. How might that expansion have shaped the art being made at the time? Was this art supported by institutions or did it critique the system? Historical research into this period, looking into sources such as government documents, exhibition reviews, and artists’ writings, helps us understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production.