A style of Abstract Expressionist painting that emerged in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. Color field painting is character-ized by large fields of saturated color spread across or stained into the canvas, creating a flat picture plane. In comparison to action painting, the style places less emphasis on gestural brushwork. Initially coined by critic Clement Greenberg, the term was first applied to the work of three American painters: Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman and Clyfford Still.  Web resources here and here.

Barnett Newman. Horizon Light. Oil on canvas. 1949. Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.