The Brooklyn Rail

With the passing of Thornton Willis on Father’s Day—aged 89—we say goodbye to the Greatest Abstract Expressionist of them all—as he was the most inventive—no other had such a vast, enduring, simple and direct vocabulary—I count seven distinct styles—four of which profoundly touched my heart.

Kenneth Nolan had three or four, Truman Egleston (my biggest influence) had three; Franz Kline, Morris Louis, Willem de Kooning, Frank Stella had two; Mark Rothko, Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Agnes Martin, Lee Krasner, and most of the rest; had one.

I think Willis’s intuitive precision specially and chromatically was supreme-plus the introduction of powdered pigments on the flats-and the offering of excited edges to the shapes put him past the others. Add to this his courage to approach a dimensional scale—which I describe as “Full Grown”—when others avoided the extra-large as unsellable, sets him apart.

No one hits home runs every time-and with more attempts—one hits more pop-ups and foul balls.

But Thornton hit the deepest shots more often—works that traveled the full distance—in the Art Biz—the term that best describes them is “timeless”!!

I am sure his Best will enchant all viewers forever!!

Thank you Thornton for setting such an example—and showing the Way!