An important voice in the Colour Field movement, Jules Olitski was primarily interested in using abstraction to explore the evocative power of pure colour. He was best known for applying soft, bright pigment using a spray gun to create atmospheric, ethereal canvases that eliminated traces of the artist’s hand. He was a constant innovator, however, and experimented throughout his career with thick paint and iridescent acrylic gel mediums applied using novel methods such as painters’ mitts, squeegees, or brooms. Working in New York throughout the Post-War period, Olitski excelled in creating evocative relationships between form, surface, and colour. He was the first living artist to have a show at the Metropolitan Museum, and can be found in the collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, and the Tate Modern.