Jules Olitski (1922-2007) is one of the most collected and accomplished artists associated with the color-field movement, if not 20th century American abstraction. 

Possibly one of the most "demanding" abstract artists - appreciating Olitski is not always easy. 

Some people on first glance dismiss his work from this period as simply being a mass of color. 

But Olitski asks you to get up close to the work, to loose yourself in the color, to consider how its created and contained on the picture plane...He wants the viewer to think about the conventions and strategies used by his contemporaries and predecessors active in abstraction. 

Around 1964 Olitski had a major creative/technical breakthrough. He began spraying the paint on his canvases, creating works that were highly innovative and nuanced while continuing his tradition of (seemingly) monochromatic artworks.

This lithograph from 1970 is a paradigm of Olitski. Unlike some of his contemporaries, associated with the color field painting, Olitksi only completed a small number of multiples. 

Take a look at another fine example from this series here. 

This work can be found in numerous museum collections including the Tate (London). 

Note: an interesting characteristic of these prints is that there are noticeable variations within the edition. The purple grape "mauve" color in this example is far thicker and denser than a previous example we handled. The purple dominates the work, with the blue base noticeably covered.  

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"Graphic Suite Number I (Mauve/blue with green and yellow)"

Signed, numbered and dated '70 by the artist.

Silkscreen 

From an edition of 150.

USA, 1970

35"H 26"W (work)

(framed)

Literature: The Prints of Jules Olitski, A Catalogue Raisonné pg. 48