Rothenberg, Susan (1945-2020), was an American artist who gained international recognition for her highly personal paintings and drawings centering on figures of horses. Rothenberg is identified with the New Image movement in American art. Artists in this movement paint recognizable figures, often in an aggressive, cartoonlike style.
Rothenberg was born on Jan. 20, 1945, in Buffalo, New York. She received a fine arts degree at Cornell University in 1967. She settled in New York City in 1969 and began painting large, acrylic images of horses in 1973. Her horse forms are simple and geometric, generally using few colors. Her forms gradually became more dramatic and emotional through the 1970’s.
By about 1980, Rothenberg departed from her horse themes. She also expanded her style through the 1980’s from the simplified images of the 1970’s. She employed freer brushwork, often painting images of heads and hands as well as human figures, such as bicycle riders, dancers and jugglers, and figures from her own family. Rothenberg built up the paint on her canvases to give her images a sense of speed and action.
In 1989, Rothenberg married the artist Bruce Nauman. It was her second marriage. The couple settled in New Mexico in 1990. Rothenberg began to work in oil paint. Many of her subjects are autobiographical, using both her personal experiences and memories. Rothenberg died on May 18, 2020.
