Richard Baringer

Key facts

Lived

1921–1980, American

Movements

• Abstract Expressionism
• Pop Art

• What is Richard Baringer known for?+

  Richard Baringer is known for his abstract paintings and his architecture. He was an assistant professor of architecture at Columbia University and a visiting lecturer in painting and fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania.
• What is Richard Baringer's most famous work?+

  Richard Baringer is best known for his contributions to the field of computer graphics, specifically his early work at Evans & Sutherland. While he created many images during his time there, it is difficult to single out one as his "most famous". Baringer's work involved using early computer systems to generate images, some of which were used in flight simulation. He also explored the use of computer graphics for artistic purposes. His images often feature geometric shapes and abstract forms rendered with the limited technology available at the time. These pieces are important examples of early computer art, a field that has since grown exponentially. Because his work was often technical and experimental, it did not always receive the same level of public attention as more traditional art forms. However, Baringer's images are now recognised for their historical significance within the development of computer graphics and digital art. His work is appreciated by those interested in the history of technology and its intersection with artistic expression.
• What should I know about Richard Baringer's prints?+

  Richard Baringer is an American artist known for his printmaking, painting, and drawing. He was born in 1947. Baringer studied at the University of Iowa, receiving a BA in 1969, and an MFA in 1971. His prints often feature detailed, realistic imagery. Many incorporate elements of surrealism or fantasy. Baringer's work explores themes of nature, mythology, and the human condition. He uses a variety of printmaking techniques, including etching, lithography, and screen printing. Baringer's prints have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums throughout the United States. His work is included in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He has received several awards and fellowships for his art. Baringer taught printmaking at American University in Washington, DC, for over 30 years.
• What style or movement did Richard Baringer belong to?+

  Richard Baringer worked in a style connected to Pop Art, a movement that gained considerable traction in both the United States and Britain during the 1950s and 1960s. Pop Art emerged partly as a reaction against Abstract Expressionism. It sought to re-introduce representational imagery and experiment with new technical processes derived from commercial and industrial sources. The name "Pop Art" was coined by the English critic Lawrence Alloway, who identified the movement as originating among artists, architects and designers who met at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London, in the early 1950s. American Pop Art shared themes and materials with its British counterpart, but each country developed its own distinct style. Pop Art drew inspiration from consumer society and popular culture, incorporating imagery from comic strips, advertising, and mass-produced objects. Artists often employed hard-edged, photograph-like techniques in painting and paid close attention to detail in sculpture.
• What techniques or materials did Richard Baringer use?+

  Richard Baringer employs varied materials and methods in his art. In his freestanding sculptures, Baringer favours fibreglass, shaping it into simple forms reminiscent of folded paper. This involves what he terms 'the lost polyurethane method', where polyurethane sheets are twisted and secured before being sprayed with molten metal and encased in fibreglass. The inner form is removed, and the sculpture is completed with sprayed resin and fibreglass. These sculptures are typically restricted to black or white, with matte or translucent finishes creating contrasting effects. From 1980, Baringer created 'relief paintings' using oil, epoxy, polystyrene, and fibreglass. These works revisit elements from his earlier paintings and sculptures, introducing new shapes and complex colour relationships. Unlike the monochromatic sculptures, the reliefs feature dramatically coloured, rough surfaces with detailed carving. Baringer also uses resin casting, suspending colour pigments in separate, ordered layers to achieve clarity and luminosity. This technique involves laminating epoxy resin, enhancing the spectral range and allowing for the use of deep colours counterbalanced by light metallics.
• What was Richard Baringer known for?+

  Richard Baringer is not widely known as an artist in his own right. He is instead associated with the early Pop art movement through his connection to other artists. In February 1962, James Rosenquist had an exhibition at the Green Gallery, which was run by Richard Bellamy. This exhibition was significant in Rosenquist's career, as it established him as an important figure in the nascent Pop art movement in America. Rosenquist's works at the Green Gallery featured renderings of consumer products, such as peaches and paper clips, as well as movie stars like Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe. Roy Lichtenstein also made a sly reference to the gallerist Richard Bellamy in one of his early Pop paintings. The painting depicts a clean-cut young military officer who says, "I am supposed to report to a Mr Bellamy, I wonder what he's like".
• When did Richard Baringer live and work?+

  Richard Baringer was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on 25 March 1926. In the autumn of 1947, he moved to Paris on a G.I. Scholarship and enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, studying with Jean Souverbie. While in Paris, he befriended Ellsworth Kelly and met Eduardo Paolozzi and Cesar, who were fellow students at the École des Beaux-Arts. In the early 1950s, Baringer visited the studios of Constantin Brancusi and Jean Arp with Kelly. He was influenced by their sense of organic form. Through his father-in-law, Henri Seyrig, Baringer met Alexander Calder. In 1954, he worked with architect Michel Ecochard in Beirut on colour design for a French Protestant school. Baringer's work was characterised by freely rendered organic forms, strongly informed by positive/negative and figure/ground relationships. These concerns continued to characterise his work.
• Where can I see Richard Baringer's work?+

  Richard Baringer's work has been included in numerous exhibitions. Venues that have hosted his pieces include the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London (November 1970 to January 1971), and the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (April to June 1971). His art also appeared at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (June to August 1971), and the Nationalgalerie, Berlin (September to November 1971). Other European venues include the Palazzo Reale, Milan (December 1971 to February 1972), the Kunsthalle Basel (March to April 1972), and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (May to June 1972). In the United States, Baringer's work has been displayed at the Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
• Where was Richard Baringer from?+

  Richard Lindner was born in Hamburg, Germany, on 11 November 1901. He spent his childhood in Nuremberg, where he studied music. Later, he studied art at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Munich. During this early period, he was interested in Dada and the published works of Duchamp and Picabia. Lindner spent a year in Berlin in 1928, then returned to Munich to become art director of the publishing firm Knorr und Hirth. In 1933, the day after the Nazis came to power, Lindner fled Germany. He settled in Paris, where he was able to work from time to time as a graphic artist. After a turbulent period, he managed to escape to the United States in 1941. Living in New York, he became well-known as an illustrator for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Fortune. He received his United States citizenship in 1948.
• Who did Richard Baringer influence?+

  It is difficult to say exactly who Richard Baringer influenced. Some artists, such as Jack Youngerman, were influenced by earlier generations of American artists, such as Georgia O'Reeffe, in terms of organic imagery, form, volume, and colour. Youngerman sought a universal abstract image, rather than the particularised organic shape. Other artists, such as Frederick Sandys, were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite style, and artists such as Burne-Jones. Burne-Jones made trips to Italy in 1859 and 1862 and liked the rich, dark colours used by the post-Raphael Venetian masters. The Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic also inspired Julia Margaret Cameron, a pioneer of art photography. Elements of late works by Rossetti and Burne-Jones influenced the Aesthetic Movement, including James Whistler and Aubrey Beardsley. Pre-Raphaelite works were exhibited in the International Exhibitions in Paris in 1855, 1867, 1878, 1889, and 1900.
• Who influenced Richard Baringer?+

  Richard Baringer's artistic development occurred in the context of American modernism. While specific influences are not widely documented, we can consider the general artistic climate of his time. The mid-20th century saw the rise of abstract expressionism in the United States. Artists like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko explored non-representational forms and emphasised individual expression. Their work encouraged experimentation with colour, texture, and scale. These trends likely impacted Baringer's approach to art-making. The Bauhaus school, though based in Germany, also exerted influence on American art and design. Its emphasis on functionalism and the integration of art, craft, and technology resonated with many artists. Baringer may have absorbed some of these principles, particularly in his approach to printmaking and design. Further research into Baringer's personal papers, exhibition catalogues, and critical reviews may reveal more specific artistic relationships and influences. Without such information, we can only speculate based on the broader art historical context.
• Who was Richard Baringer?+

  I am unable to find any information about an artist named Richard Baringer in the provided passages. However, the passages do contain information about several other artists. Richard Lindner (1901-1978) was born in Hamburg and later fled Nazi Germany, settling in New York. He became an illustrator for magazines such as Vogue and Harper's Bazaar, later teaching painting at Pratt Institute. Wojciech Fangor (1922-), born in Warsaw, studied painting and exhibited his work in Poland before moving to the United States, where he became a citizen in 1971. Oskar Fischinger incorporated his film and sound work into painting, using discs, orbs, and spirals in his compositions. Richard Stankiewicz (born 1922 in Philadelphia) studied at the Hofmann School and Atelier Fernand Leger in Paris, creating welded assemblage sculptures. Finally, the conceptual artist known as 'RB' created impermanent and invisible works.