Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974), Circular, 1960. Oil on canvas, 90 x 72 in. (228.6 x 182.9 cm). Grey Art Gallery, New York University Art Collection. Anonymous gift, 1966.28. © Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

Early in his career, during the 1930s, Adolph Gottlieb—along with Mark Rothko—was a disciple of Milton Avery’s, absorbing his luminous colors, simplified drawing, and penchant for quasi-humorous depictions of the human figure. Later Gottlieb was drawn to the work of the metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico. Breaking away from Avery’s influence, he painted a series of pictographs, gridded compositions studded with mysterious faces, eyes, and abstract motifs.

Circular is a classic work of Gottlieb’s postwar period. One of a series of abstract landscapes featuring a darkly glowing sun or moon suspended over a fertile plain, Circular appears so intuitively right that it induces a flash of satori, or Zen-like equilibrium.