Emily Mason’s Quest for Color and Truth

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While you can see the influence of Abstract Expressionist techniques in Mason’s work, she had none of the hubris of the male protagonists she saw as giants on the scene. Her quest for color expression and structure was more in tune with the sensitivity and unimposing sincerity of a Mark Rothko. Of all the painters of the New York School, Mason admired de Kooning the most; she never missed his shows. One of Mason’s favorite Emily Dickinson poems was “Tell all the truth but tell it slant” — glimpsing indirectly was for her the way to be. Emily Mason, “Stillness is Volcanic” (1966), oil on canvas (© 2025 Emily Mason | Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation/ARS)Fridays at The Club were a time for lectures.