From Representation to Abstraction: A Studio Conversation with Robert Solomon

Robert Solomon, Sunlight on a morning stream, 42 x 42 x 1.5", 2026

By NOAH BECKER March 30th, 2026

I caught up with Robert Solomon, a painter I've been interested in for a few years. He's a painter's painter, something we don't seee very much these days...

What led you from representation to abstraction in your recent work?

It has been an evolutionary process shaped by my state of mind in the natural environment. As I exhausted the possibilities of literal landscape, I shifted toward a more contemplative, formal investigation of painting itself. Both approaches share the same source material. In Harbingers of Spring, the evergreen tree and stone wall are still visible, while in Forest Carpet, elements dissolve into an abstracted stream and ground. In Sunlight Upon a Morning Stream, light and sky move fully into abstraction, with a more grid-like structure.

How does the “look down” perspective shape the viewer’s experience?

The “look down” perspective, like the frontal view, is a modernist device that avoids pictorialism. Encountering David Hockney during graduate school reinforced this for me. The viewer may not realize they are looking down at water or land, but the perspective creates a poetic distance, allowing a break from literal reality.

How do you convey a fleeting atmosphere or moment through color and rhythm?

I use color subjectively and rhythmically. In Old Tracks Along the Canal, green dominates to evoke a hot, silent day, with all elements merging into a unified haze. Repetition of forms creates structure. Claude Monet is an influence. In New Growth, natural elements reduce to circles and lines, with color functioning compositionally.

Robert Solomon, Forest carpet, 54 x 38 x 1.5", 2026

What role does the square deep canvas play in the work’s presence?

The square, deep canvas projects outward, emphasizing objectness and symmetry. It strengthens smaller works in particular. While formats vary, I often use vertical compositions to suggest hierarchy or ascendency. Spirituality and sensuality remain central concerns.

How do you balance loose geometry with expressive texture?

In The Flower Is My Boat, thin washes contrast with dense acrylic textures. Thick lines define shifting boundaries and organize the composition. Brice Marden is an influence. In Sunlight, forms are implied while boundaries are reimagined, allowing space and reflection to merge.

What influences your blend of abstraction and structure?

Organization is key - structuring chaos. Henri Matisse’s Moroccan paintings shaped my thinking about color and form. Brice Marden’s linear continuity and Jasper Johns’ object-based surfaces are also important. I often use underlying structure to create tension with the paint’s unpredictability.

Robert Solomon, Stream with landscape, 53 x 38 x1.5", 2025
 

How does drawing function within your abstract compositions?

Drawing is fundamental. I sketch before painting, influenced by architecture and figure drawing. As a member of the Plastic Club in Philadelphia, I maintain drawing as a core discipline. It informs brushwork and adds structure, even within abstraction.

How do titles like “The Flower Is My Boat” guide interpretation?

The title reflects a playful, poetic sensibility - dreamy and romantic. While recent titles are more descriptive, I’m drawn to language that evokes emotion. The flower becomes a personal symbol of observation, sensuality, and quiet moments outside the studio.

Robert Solomon, The flower is my boat 54 x 38 x 1.5, 
 

What role does memory play in shaping your landscapes?

Memory provides emotional and visual source material. Recalling a place or moment helps make the work specific, even within abstraction. Like method acting, it allows experience to shape the image.

How do you decide between impasto and thin, open passages?

I think in terms of contrast - heaviness and lightness, as Jimmy Page described. Composition dictates where to build texture or leave space. John Walker has influenced my sensitivity to surface and depth.

How do you approach each painting as a distinct process or language?

Each painting develops its own language, grounded in technique. I rarely repeat myself. Drawing helps translate observation into abstraction, while color and materials shape the outcome. Increasingly, the work reflects an inner reality rather than the external world.

What does “objectness” mean to you?

Objectness relates to a painting existing as both image and physical thing, a concept tied to Michael Fried. Artists like Jasper Johns and Kurt Schwitters explore this boundary. It is not something I can force, but certain works - like New Growth (Green) - begin to assert that presence.