Peter Joseph

Peter Joseph was a well-known artist born in 1929 in London, UK. During 1969-1972, he taught at Portsmouth Art College. His works graced the 1975 São Paulo Bienal, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. For many years, Joseph was represented by Lisson Gallery. 

Peter Joseph's Art Style

Peter Joseph is renowned for his contemplative minimalist artworks. He dedicated his artistic practice to exploring the possibilities within limitations. He gained critical acclaim in the 1970s for his contemplative two-color paintings, featuring a single rectangle set against a darker frame. These early works were marked by meticulous symmetry, where each choice of color and proportion seemed imbued with significance related to time, mood, or environment.

While sharing similarities with artists such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Joseph's approach to Minimalism was distinctive, deriving inspiration not only from his contemporaries but also from Renaissance masters, alongside historical figures like Claude, Cézanne, and Pissarro.

In recent years, he has moved away from his established "architecture" format, opting instead to divide the canvas into two planes, either horizontally or vertically. In these newer works, loose brushwork, earthy tones, and patches of exposed canvas evoke a sense of freshness and exploration.