Declivity, 2012

Charles Hinman’s art expanded the concept of the shaped canvas in the 1960s. He freed his works from the physical confines of the traditional canvas by allowing them to extend beyond the wall, creating a fusion of sculpture and painting.
Hinman’s series developed from the more organic forms of his earliest work into a more geometric style, and later into complex, leaf-like pieces in the 1980s. The influence of Russian Suprematism is notable, while his more recent works focused on light and color in a more minimalist style.
In the early 1960s, Charles Hinman lived and worked in Lower Manhattan, where he formed a small artists’ community with several other promising young artists. This group was not part of a cohesive movement, but sought to distinguish its work from the Abstract Expressionism of the era.
His Eclipse series (2010) of shaped paintings featured color concealed behind black and white canvases. Many critics considered the Gem series (2010–2011), with its complex triangular forms, to be among his most interesting works.
Hinman described his work as “dynamic... occupying a six-dimensional space.” His practice focused on the viewer’s perception, altering the appearance of volume depending on perspective.