Man in Black Coat
1977-1981
20th Century
21 7/8 x 27 3/4 in. (55.6 x 70.5 cm)
Sidney Goodman,
American,
(1936–2013)
Object Type:
PAINTINGS
Creation Place:
North America
Medium and Support:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by Dr. Paul Rahter
Accession Number:
02-P-477
Gallery Label:
Goodman taught at Philadelphia College of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. As a student in the 1950s, the dominant style taught in art schools was Abstract Expressionism, rather than representation. In order to develop his life-study skills, Goodman decided to study illustration and commercial art. The artist arrived at his mature style in the mid-1970s, exemplified in Man in Black Coat, which combines the introspection and atmospheric expressionism of his early work with the cold analytic clarity of his canvases from the 1960s and 1970s. The figure sits, gazing down, eyelids almost closed, surrounded by a blank, neutral background, which accentuates the contemplative, quiet quality of the composition.
Current Location:
Art Museum : 20 C Hallway
