No. 5 1971

Bernard Cohen made this abstract artwork called No. 5 using acrylic and pencil on paper. Cohen was part of a generation of British artists who questioned the role of painting after the Second World War. This was a time when artists challenged traditional ideas about what art should look like, and museums and galleries were becoming more open to showing experimental works. Cohen's use of simple shapes and colors can be seen as a reaction against the more traditional, representational art that had dominated British culture for centuries. His work invites viewers to question their expectations and consider new possibilities. To understand this work better, you might look at books and articles about post-war British art, as well as exhibition catalogs from the period. This kind of research can help us understand how artists like Cohen were pushing the boundaries of art and challenging the institutions that supported it.