Phantasy II by Norman Lewis in the Museum of Modern Art, May 2010

Norman Lewis
Phantasy II
September 23, 1946


After beginning his career as a figurative painter, in 1946 Lewis announced that he wanted to break away from what he called “stagnation in too much tradition.” The art and writings of the Russian painter Vasily Kandinsky (1866–1944), one of the first modern artists to create abstract paintings, were one inspiration. Like his New York peers of this period, Lewis was deeply interested in music, which influenced the painting of Phantasy II. Lewis’s boldly colored lines and forms are akin to the improvisational structures of jazz.-- Gallery label from "Collection 1940s—1970s", 2019

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 28 1/8 x 35 7/8" (71.4 x 91.2 cm)

Credit: Gift of The Friends of Education of The Museum of Modern Art

Object number: 528.1998

Department: Painting and Sculpture

Text from: www.moma.org/collection/works/79927