This photograph by John Gordon Ross captures the Abstract Expressionist artist Franz Kline in his New York City studio. Described by ARTnews as "one of the heroes of the New York School," Kline was renowned for abstract paintings that "explode before us at point-blank range." Often monochromatic, his canvases featured slashing strokes of paint that intersected to form complex shapes and rhythmic designs. Kline insisted that his works, despite their nonobjective appearance, were rooted in the world around him. Indeed, the titles of several paintings refer to places that he knew as a youth in eastern Pennsylvania.

John Gordon Ross (born 1920)
Gelatin silver print, circa 1953
Published March 1967
ARTnews Collection, New York City