ROBERT SOLOMON
Closer to the Abstract
Interview with Jonathan Goodman, June 6, 2026
Old rail on the canal 30 x 30 x 2.25" 2025
Solomon studied architecture, but then switched interests and turned to painting and other forms of fine art. It is not hard to see the work as moving ever closer toward abstraction. His colors tend to be matte, while his formal strategies suggest actual objects without making their shapes openly realistic. Solomon’s art relates well to European art of the previous century.
The theme of a near realism’ adumbrated by more openly abstract forms shows how Solomon causes his art to bridge the two great traditions in occidental art: figuration and nonobjective painting. He is a nuanced painter, being someone who combines ways of seeing into conditions that bring about a harmonious whole. Solomon’s shapes, not always recognizable, test the ability of an image to suggest rather than declare.
Part of Solomon’s success lies in the variety of his work. Sometimes he paints forms reminiscent of flowers; sometimes, trees and houses. Finally, people can enter his artistic imagination. This happens more often than one might think, although it makes sense to say that abstraction generally prevails. The paintings do not exhibit hard edges and can mimic some of Matisse’s effects.
Solomon looks at the world closely and with affection, impressionistically, finding beauty in rough shapes and blocks of color. For this reason the works are often memorable, and despite nonobjective motifs, relatively accessible.
The sites and objects that work within mild realism produce a particular, but not specifically identifiable, aura in the sense of place. So we simply don't know where he is coming from—quite literally. Instead realist generalizations occur, in which a focused hand gives way to something deeper, more emotionally generalized.
Solomon’s impulse is to take European influence and make something a bit rougher, a bit more American, than you might think. By muting the mood and the objects, found in nature, in humanity, and in architecture, Solomon creates a dialogue that is both accessible and strong. His high respect for traditions linked to art history enables him to proceed in a painterly fashion; but he also leans on comments and insights.
Forest carpet 54 x 38 x1.5" 2026
Jonathan Goodman: You came close to becoming an architect. How has this vocation influenced your fine art? Has architecture provided you with a needed structure in your paintings?
Robert Solomon: Architecture was a field I idealized before entering graduate school at UCLA in 1971. My family sparked my interest in architecture, but my passion was always the visual arts. I am a full-time painter; however, the influence of architecture can be present in the initial stages of painting when pencil and ruler is used as an organizing device. The subject of many of my paintings have elements of the built and the natural world.
Jonathan Goodman: You live in Philadelphia, but you tend to gravitate toward the New York art scene. Does the art in Philadelphia stand up to the New York City art world? Are all the prerequisites of good art—good schools, a small but lively gallery scene, the existence of good art writing—sufficient in Philadelphia?
Robert Solomon: I live in Philadelphia, but have gravitated to the art world of NY since the emergence of SoHo as a gallery center. I was involved with the close-knit community of artists in Philadelphia beginning in the late 70’s and enjoyed a sympathetic reception from the galleries and institutions, however, my heart was set on NYC. I am attracted to the diversity and competition of NYC; Philadelphia has the schools and affordability, but, unfortunately, not the market or the energy.
Jonathan Goodman: Do you feel that your visits to New York City mean a lot? If so, how do they influence your work? Do the artistic currents in New York City affect the way you work? Or are you taken by other influences?
Robert Solomon: NYC is always recharging and a way to gauge my ambition. Occasionally, I see a show that fundamentally changes my visual world: Matisse in Morocco, Brice Marden and Jackson Pollock, Sean Scully at the Met. The decision to have a studio in rural NJ has directly influenced my work. Nature is where the painting is rooted.
Jonathan Goodman: You have chosen to create atmospheres of harmony at a time when fine art is often aggressive and heavily politicized. Does the small social concern in your subject matter show a personal preference, or are you trying to evade social intricacies that have taken so much of current art?
Robert Solomon: I’ve conveyed a great deal of social-political concern in my installations and theatrical work. I find painting to be a more direct way to engage an audience and entertain myself. I discovered I had a knack of communicating emotionally with my installations that I continue to do with paint and brush. I think my work deals with time and memory more than contemporary attitudes and signs.
Jonathan Goodman: .Name two or three artists, either historical or contemporary, that have an impact on you. Kindly tell your reader why they mean a lot to you.
Robert Solomon: John Walker is an influence: he embodies an abstract language and a physical use of color. Bill Scott, a Philadelphian, is influential because he creates a simple and sophisticated world of nuanced color and shapes. Brice Marden has been influential because his simple abstract formula of line and color is so compelling. Matisse is the artist who inspired me to paint. Jasper Johns is the artist who made sculpture, painting and thinking into a single entity.
Jonathan Goodman: Does contemporary art make sense to you in general? Is it too politicized? Not skilled enough? Too conceptual? Please comment.
Robert Solomon: Many Black contemporary artists make a great deal of sense because they embody the historical traditions of Western art while expressing their social history. I don’t like the oversaturated sameness of much of today’s abstract painting. It’s fine to be politically motivated but I am not sure it can lead to an avant-garde or a revolution in art like the films of the sixties or the work of Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. I try to stick with traditional polarities: chaos and order, classical and romantic and the natural and the built world. Any artist who can reach his or her audience emotionally and intellectually is skilled.
Jonathan Goodman: How do you feel about art writing today? The cultural journals are becoming thinner, and their tone is more and more demotic. What kind of criticism would you like to see?
Robert Solomon: I’ve been subscribed to Artforum forever and the writing style is more abstract than it needs to be. It’s a dinosaur in today’s art world. The digital magazines and journals are much better and the writing is more succinct. I object to the bastardization of language and the made-up words. I like your poetic use of language and the context you gives to the art he writes about. I am encouraged by the blogs and journals taken up by artists and writers and poets available online.
Jonathan Goodman: How do you feel about The Met’s upcoming contemporary wing? Should new art be consigned to museums, which traditionally attended to the historical image?
Robert Solomon: I saw Sean Scully at the Met, Cy Twombley at Philadelphia Museum of Art, Brice Marden, and other great artists at museums. Museums give us a pause to reflect on innovations and artists whose life story is particularly poignant or universal. Contemporary art at the Met gives us another approach to the history of art besides the socio-anthropologic.
Jonathan Goodman: Your work seems international in its outlook. Yet you are American. Have we moved permanently into work that cannot be described as coming from a particular culture, turning instead to a worldwide populism and accessibility?
Robert Solomon: I don’t think any true art is readily accessible. The new is a shock and stretches our understanding of beauty and the human condition. However, a person with a modicum of sensitivity should be able to pick up something of the artist’s intention. I’m happy you think my art is international in outlook.
Jonathan Goodman: You know New York City well. Is it still the center of the arts in a global sense? Or has the massive influx of artists made renting or owning space more or less impossible to negotiate financially?
Robert Solomon: NYC is probably the enduring art capital because of the number and size of the galleries, the reach of the market and the number of artists from every corner of the world. It is out of reach for most young artists and the cost of living is prohibitive. The phrase “lives and works in NYC” is commendable but shouldn’t be necessary to a life in the arts. Most successful artists live outside NYC, but the art world is a difficult place in so many ways. Old myths die hard and the bohemian way of life is no longer to be found in many neighborhoods. However, contemporary art is the strongest market and drives the way the city is shaped.
Jonathan Goodman: Most artists have another art they turn to for solace—poetry, novels, music, dance. What do you gravitate toward and why?
Robert Solomon: Acting, film and theater are forms that continue to be attractive. I spent a residency in Spoleto with LaMama where I was exposed to acting theory. The experience helped me understand the performative nature of all art. Books are always in my life, especially my recent interest in more difficult authors like Thomas Mann and James Joyce.
Jonathan Goodman: Why is art so popular, despite difficulties in accessibility, that is, its long reach, both in populist and high culture, and in criticism? It would appear to be the most influential purpose around. How can we create a truly open environment for ourselves and our audience?
Robert Solomon: Art is a religion in NYC and art fairs make the experience accessible as well as fashionable. Contemporary painting is always a mix of populist ideas and “high culture”. NYC can be tribal and fractionalized and represent the divergence of money and tastes, all competing for your attention. Is high culture what it was a quarter century ago? Thankfully, African and Asian art is an integral part of contemporary discourse along with the European model of modern art history. I happen to embrace both.
New growth green, 30 x 30 x 2.25" 2025