John Opper, an early member of the New York School, was an active painter for over six decades. His artistic journey evolved from abstract gestural works inspired by the natural world to a pure form of abstraction. Opper believed that art's purpose is to evoke an aesthetic response and create a profound relationship between the artist and the artwork.
Born in 1908 in Chicago, Opper's passion for art started in high school, where he studied and took classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Influenced by modern artists like Picasso and Matisse, he pursued his art education and eventually joined the WPA Easel Division during the Great Depression. Opper became a founding member of the American Abstract Artists in 1936, providing an opportunity for artists to exhibit abstract works when few opportunities existed.
During World War II, Opper worked for a ship design company, and later, he pursued teaching jobs in various locations, including New York, Wyoming, and Alabama. It was during his time away from New York that Opper explored purely abstract works, influenced by the changing language and substance of art.
In the 1950s, Opper shifted his art towards large interlocking planes and simplified colors. He intentionally avoided overlapping planes to create more dramatic intensity. During the 1960s, Opper embraced a Color Field sensibility, playing colors off each other with mastery. In his later career, his works featured controlled movement and vibrant verticals that respected the two-dimensional surface.
Throughout his career, Opper exhibited with prominent New York galleries and received several awards, including the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Jimmy Ernst Award. His artwork is held in numerous American museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.