Susan Rothenberg – Diagonal

1975 was the year of Susan Rothenberg’s breakout solo exhibition. At 112 Greene Street in New York, she displayed large-scale paintings from her Horses series that reintroduced representational imagery when the dominant trends were pure abstraction and Minimalism. This Rothenberg painting, Diagonal, comes from that pivotal year in her career. She once said, “the geometrics in the painting – the center line and other divisions – are the main fascinators.” Here, the strong and active form of the horse is represented through outline, bold shape, and a sharp dividing line across the canvas. It is a celebration of the energy and life within the creative process of painting.